The US vice-president condemns Israel's approval of 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem, as he prepares to visit the West Bank.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrives in the Afghan capital Kabul for talks with President Hamid Karzai.

A court case brought by the family of Rachel Corrie, a US protester killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in 2003, is to open.

The US State Department apologises for comments by a spokesman on a call by Libya for holy war against Switzerland.

Israel and Syria both tell a conference in Paris they want to use nuclear power to generate electricity.

The European Commission extended last week rules allowing member states to support film-makers with public money.With current arrangements due to expire at the end of the year, the European Union's executive arm decided to extend the rules until the end of 2012."For European creators to express them

From Marjane Satrapi, the Iranian creator of ?Persepolis,? to cutting-edge artists from Seoul or South Africa, star authors joined some 200,000 fans in southern France this week for the world?s biggest comic book showcase.Once a year the sleepy south-western town of Angouleme turns into the capital

THE HAGUE: I was struck down with gastroenteritis last week, not that surprising in Egypt you may think, except I wasn?t scoffing down fuul and tameya in Embaba, but contemporary delights in sanitized Europe.Europe may be considered low risk for diarrhea, but the dreadful bug, strikes travelers anyt

ABU DHABI - As part of the various training programs offered by Emarat to its employees, the Corporation recently organized a series of training sessions focusing on food safety and hygiene. More than 400 employees working at the retail network attended the sessions in coordination with SGS institution, accredited by the Dubai Municipality.

Swaths of the Emirate are getting lusher with more landscaping. In 2009, 27 million flowering plants were planted throughout Dubai.

Dusty and windy conditions that hit most of the country after a spell of rains last week are likely to give way to bright and sunny days, with max temperature along the coast predicted to up.

ABU DHABI - Last week's rains have wreaked havoc in some parts of the industrial areas of Abu Dhabi. Sporadic power supply and frequent outages have hit small businesses and residents hard.

SHARJAH - A woman who was employed as a housemaid, and was absconding since stealing money and jewellery from an Arab family residing in Sharjah which had employed her, has been arrested by Sharjah Police.

Though it has outlived its usefulness as a trade route and has been restricted by political turmoil, the Salah al Din Road breathes life into Gaza.

As visiting vice president Biden hails ‘real opportunity’ for progress, Israel embarrasses him with announcement of West Bank project.

Members of parliament join those at a Women’s Day event who seek equality, including the right to raise children as citizens if they marry a foreigner.

The two men who dominate the Accountability and Justice Commission say they will take the higher electoral committee to court.

Ali Abdullah Saleh warns he would crush activists calling for southern independence while he offered to engage them in dialogue over their demands.

Several events converged recently that conspired to take me back to the summer of 2006, the summer I snuck into Iraq. The first event was the Iraqi elections. The second was the Oscars. The third was a concert at a little bar tucked into a hip corner of the hippest neighborhood in the world -- Williamsburg, Brooklyn. These events all brought me a little closer to that time, a little closer to recalling the way things were back then. And I realized how much I had forgotten.

Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the United States condemns Israel's decision to build 1,600 housing units in a Jerusalem neighborhood, calling it "a step that undermines the trust we need right now."

CNN's new series i-List takes you to a different country each month and highlights innovation and influence in industry, business, technology, culture and more.

Even as votes are counted in Iraq's general election, a leading human rights activist in Baghdad said Monday that she is counting on the new parliament to defend and develop women's rights.

Champagne won't be sprayed this weekend in Bahrain at the country's Formula One Grand Prix, a hotly anticipated race that kicks off the season.

FIVE students are gearing up to represent Bahrain at an alternative Formula One event in Singapore later this year.

THE stage is set for performances by top musical names this weekend as part of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix entertainment line-up.

THE Manama Theatre Club is gearing up to stage a popular play at the British Club later this month.

THE Right Honourable David Mellor Q C will be the guest after-dinner speaker at a Gentlemen's Dinner that will take place at the British Club, Adliya, tomorrow.

AWARD-winning UK DJ Manny Norte will make his Bahrain debut when he performs at the exclusive invitation-only F1 Memoirs dinner and dance event at the L'Hotel's L'Bar outlet, Seef, this weekend.

SANA?A, Aug 26 ? Extreme weather conditions and environmental changes are confusing farmers and threatening livelihoods, further aggravating Yemen?s already fragile food security. These new threats come as aid runs dangerously low and authorities ponder solutions. The Middle East in general is suffering from drought and the effects of climate change. Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Cyprus, Iran, Yemen and other areas have each been dealing with decreased rainfall, reduced water storage, and in some cases, declared drought, leaving many countries dangerously dependant on food aid. Philip Ward, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe, was in Yemen for the first time earlier this month to meet with senior government officials, donors, and partners, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). During his stay he visited a number of agricultural centers in Dhamar and Hodeida and spoke to farmers about the impact of this year?s drought on agriculture. He also discussed the way ahead towards ensuring the country?s food security. ?Globally the issue of food security is more important than ever. It?s being discussed at the highest levels,? Ward said. Currently, Yemen imports 90 percent of its food. Farmers grow weary Due to lack of research, there are no numbers that accurately describe how drought is affecting Yemenis. However, one thing is clear; Yemeni farmers? attitudes towards planting have changed. ?The Ministry of Agriculture has a project together with the FAO to provide subsidized crop seeds such as sorghum and barley to farmers. A good indicator of drought is that farmers aren?t even coming to buy the seeds,? Ward said. ?The farmers weren?t coming to buy the seeds because they didn?t feel that it?s worth the investment,? he noted, explaining that sorghum and barley are the types of crops looked at to provide food security. ?The huge concern is that the rain this year is too little too late,? Ward continued. ?Farmers are worried that rains at this point will not sustain their crops.? In Hodeida, Ward met with farmers at the Tihama Development Authority. ?The farmers that we are worried about the most are those that are completely dependent on rain fed agriculture,? he said. ?One such farmer that we met lived with his brother, but the total extended family was 22 people. He is entirely dependent on rain and he said he didn?t anticipate any problem this year. Now he has to sell off livestock to feed his family,? related Ward. ?That worries us because when farmers start doing that, the very things that should protect and help them next year are now lost. These are the people we are trying to support the most.? Some families in various governorates including Dhamar, Al-Mahwit, Hajja, Taiz, Lahj and Dhal?e have already left their homes in search of greener pastures and wetter lands. ?It?s a concern when people start moving off the land to urban centers or where water is available,? Ward said. ?We are concerned about the social tension and fragmentation that could happen as a result.? Following a year with no rainfall in 2008, thousands of residents in Mahwit governorate, some 113 km northwest of the capital Sana?a, have been displaced after they were forced to abandon their mountainous villages and move to cities. Deadly clashes over water sources have also been reported this year. Food running out In July, a shortage of funds forced the WFP to halve its rations to 95,000 war-affected people in Yemen, many of whom depend entirely on food assistance. The WFP?s resources are running dangerously low. Overall, the program is facing a shortfall of US 20 million or 36 percent of its total needs for 2009. In June 2009, the WFP had to suspend food assistance programs linked to health and education which had benefited 815,000 of the most vulnerable Yemenis. ?Our programs are designed to support a developmental process rather than a dependency on food aid,? Ward said. He related a success story of the Food for Education program. ?Our deputy country director in Yemen went to a health clinic. The nurse that treated him had been a recipient of the food for education program. A few years ago, she might not have had that opportunity that she did.? Unfortunately, in June the WFP was forced to temporarily halt its Food for Education programs due to a lack of funds. During his visit to Dhamar and Hodeida, Ward went with representatives from the FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture. The Yemeni Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation arranged this mission that was led by Dr. Mansoor Al-Hoshabi, the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, as well as Ibrahim Thabet, an assistant representative of the FAO. Beneficial allocation of resources Yemen is getting hotter by the year. According to the National Council for Climate, there has been an increase in average temperatures in the capital Sana?a over the last 20 years, though they do not have an exact percentage due to a lack of research. Yemen is under ?serious water stress? according to a report by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA). Former Prime Minister Abdul-Karim Al-Iryani has warned that the country could face famine as soon as next year, calling upon the international community to support Yemen. Continued on page 2 Climate change during the last few years and especially in 2009 is a real concern for Yemen, particularly if the frequency of precipitation events continues to diminish, putting agriculture in peril and potentially leading to a catastrophic drought. Agriculture accounts for about 90 percent of Yemen?s groundwater consumption, and up to 40 percent of it is used just for growing qat. Dr. Naef Abu Lohom, Head of the Research and Studies Department at the Water and Environment Center with the University of Sana?a, explained that there are two main water seasons in Yemen and that rainfall patterns are changing. ?The rainy season in Yemen is usually from March to May and July to September,? he said, ?but rains are now starting in August. ?We are noticing the late onset of the rains, but we still need research to determine if this is due to climate change,? Lohom said. ?We do not have statistics from before and so we cannot compare.? However, he explained that there are some rainfall areas that are currently being monitored. ?In the future we can fully assess the changes. There?s certainly been a change in agricultural seasons, but we cannot attribute this to climate change due to lack of scientific research,? he noted. Much like the rest of the region, the climate change impacts facing Yemen are drought and desertification on the one hand and torrential downpours on the other, rains that are useless because they are not harvested or channeled in any way. If these rains are taken advantage of they would help to ease drought. ?The concept of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is still new to Yemen and needs to be applied by the water sector here in order to strike a balance between water replenishment and usage,? Lohom said. ?Our geographical location in an arid area makes it especially difficult for Yemen. It rains four months in a year, if we are optimistic. The rest of the year is dry. The population increase, especially in the mountainous area where up to 90 percent of the population density distribution is located, further aggravates the issue,? he added. ?Most of the population is also concentrated in the major cities. This puts pressure on ground water. That?s why we have an annual drop of four to six meters in most of our groundwater resources,? Lohom explained. ?We are in urgent need for applying the concept of IWRM, in all its aspects,? he stressed. ?This cannot be solved by the government itself,? he noted, adding that the community needs to play a larger role. Lohom cited some examples where communities in Dhamar, Hadramout and Taiz have been empowered in water management and monitoring through establishing associations. The October 2008 flooding disaster which centered on the Hadramout governorate affected about a third of the country and triggered a major international response. Many residents there still depend on aid. ?The WFP has provided assistance to 43,000 people affected by floods in Hadramout and Al-Mahra,? according to WFP Yemen. Assessing the drought The WFP discussed water management systems at length with the Tihama Development Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture. ?There?s been a lot of investment in irrigation and water systems. The problem is that even with that very good investment, if there?s not enough water it doesn?t matter how much you?ve invested in it,? Ward said, explaining that this is part of the problem and that investment isn?t enough. ?With the irrigation systems that exist, there will be farming in areas where people have access to irrigation canals and pumps where the infrastructure is already set up,? he said. The WFP focus is always on the poor and the vulnerable who live away from such systems and are completely dependent on rain fed agriculture, according to Ward. ?We need to look at the issue in more depth,? he admitted. ?At this point we consider it a very serious issue. Given that, we have decided that there is a need to conduct a full food supply assessment mission through the WFP and the FAO. The Ministry of Agriculture has now officially requested us to conduct it.? A clearer picture of the situation is expected to emerge as a result of that assessment. ?The mission will look at the level of harvests that come in, the amount of food Yemen imports and consumption levels,? Ward said. ?They will then make recommendations.? The assessment is expected to be carried out next month....

Sana?a, Aug 26 ? A relative calmness between the government army and the Houthis prevailed in Sa?ada city last Tuesday during the daytime, according tribal sources in Sa?ada. The army did, however, resume shelling and using rockets against Houthi strongholds after sunset. In addition, fighter planes and bombardiers targeting Houthi sites were heard over a number of districts. The confrontations resumed in all points of contact in the districts that are at war. A source in the local authority in Sa?ada announced last Tuesday that security authorities arrested a cell of Houthis in Sa?ada city. The state-run Saba News Agency reported that the source said, ?The cell was fortressed inside a cell in the old city of Sa?ada, after confrontations with security men which resulted in a soldier killed and another one wounded.? Media reports said this week that confrontations between the two sides took place in Sa?ada city after groups of Houthis infiltrated and launched an abrupt attack against public buildings. They targeted the Al-Jawazat area, Al-Muwasalat and Bab Najran, Al-Mehwar and Al-Salam neighborhoods and the governor?s office. The Houthis said that they repelled a sudden attack launched by the army in Al-Malahidh area last Tuesday evening, when the army attempted to recover the area that the Houthis had announced they controlled two around weeks ago. Local sources said that the army focused on Al-Malahidh-Haradh front for tactical reasons and that it is currently mobilizing the 12th Military Division with all its equipment in an area between Abs and Haradh. The Houthis focus on the front of Harf Sufian and Al-Safra districts because they are a key to controlling the road to Sana?a used to carry government military supplies to Sa?ada. The source said that the Houthis attempted last Sunday evening to open a new front in the eastern side of Sa?ada city in Aal Salem area where clashes between the two sides took place. The source said people from both sides were killed and injured. ?The Houthis had opened a first front from Al-Anad-Al-Mahather road that leads to Sana?a and a second front in the entry to Sa?ada-Al-Talh-Dhahyan near the city,? said the source. ?The Houthis used mortars last Tuesday evening and many shells fell on empty areas near Political Security Office and Al-Salam hospital in Sa?ada city.? Abdul Malek Al-Houthi announced in a statement that his supporters have taken a number of military sites since the beginning of the sixth war including Tuwaileq, Al-Hasama, Muthallath, Al-Dhay?a and Habish, which are all located in Shada and Al-Malahidh districts, Ghaman strategic site in Sehar district, Tanfan, Jabal Esa sites in Al-Safra district and Al-Juh, Al-Qafl and Al-Qafif sites in the Saqain district. Al-Houthi further pointed out that other military sites, including Al-Farsh, Al-Arous, Al-Mefrakh, Mahdida, Jabal Ghanem Fella site, Khanf?ar Al-Hareba Ahma Al-Talh school and Al-Khaza?en withdrew due to the siege and extensive attacks launched by his supporters. The official spokesman for the government, Hassan Al-Laawzi, said that the local authority and military and security forces in Sa?ada currently give priority in their operations to securing roads and clearing of the Houthis. He pointed out that the Houthis block roads and set up ambushes to hinder the delivery of supplies to the districts and villages of Sa?ada, camps of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and other areas. He denied that military forces found over a hundred dead bodies of Houthis after clearing Harf Sufian. ?We don?t know about this news,? he said. ?The military and security forces cleared Harf Sufian and the nearby areas but they didn?t find any dead bodies of the Houthi elements in the area.? He confirmed that Doha agreement signed between the government and the Houthis last year has been cancelled, stressing that military operations against the Houthis will continue until they surrender. Continued on page 2 Informed sources in Sa?ada city said that ?citizens leave their villages toward safer areas due to the shelling of fighter planes which launch air raids mainly at night.? ?The city is surrounded by the government, which prevented citizens from entering or coming out of it,? said the source. ?It lives in a state of an unannounced emergency.? He pointed out that the security authorities imposed curfew in the city and the streets are free from people and cars, with the exception of tanks and military forces in Sa?ada deployed in the city. He said that citizens, including IDPs, coming from the conflict districts live in bad conditions in spite of efforts of relief circulated by the media. Sources said that ?The price of food, gasoline and gas increased unprecedentedly since the beginning of war, as a twenty-letter jerry can of petrol costs YR 3,000 and a gas cylinder YR 2,000. British Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of International Development appealed to the Yemeni government in a statement issued last Monday to reach a peaceful reconciliation for the conflict in Sa?ada. The two ministries said that they support the statement issued by the European Union and the statement of Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary-General. They further demanded that humanitarian aid be allowed to reach citizens who have been forced to leave their houses due to the recent events. The statement said that Britain pays attention to the crisis in Sa?ada, observes the situation closely and keeps in contact with the UN and other international agencies. It points out that the aid offered by the British Ministry of International Development is aimed to address the humanitarian needs in Sa?ada where there are around 100,000 IDPs. Brittan has offered 2.54 million Pounds Sterling in response to the call of the World Food Program to help the affected citizens due to war in Sa?ada....

Yemen today has so many problems that depression and complaints have become the norm. Perhaps, if it wasn?t for qat sessions, Yemenis might have revolted long ago. But as a sedative, qat has done the trick for now. Despite all this gloom, there are a few individuals and organizations who still believe that they can make things better through development and charity work. One of these organizations is the SEYAJ Organization for Childhood Protection. The word ?seyaj? in Arabic means fence. The organization defends children whose rights are violated, by either defending them in court against their abusers, or providing them with psychological and financial support to help them recover and resume a normal life. Child abuse in Yemen is both overlooked and underestimated. Over 50 percent of the population is 15 years old or younger, but their concerns are not a priority for decision makers. Yemeni children are not only neglected at policy level, but also looked down upon at home. Average parents do not pay attention to what their children are thinking or learning in and out of school. This is not only probably because they have too many children to look after -and too little resources to do so, but mainly because the concept of respecting children as individual human beings is unheard of in Yemeni culture. Yemeni culture is very much about older people, respect not just for adults but also for older generations. Although this too is fading quickly, influence and respect still comes with age, and so the grandfather in a multigenerational family usually has the last say inside the home. Children are just there to obey without discussion, and girls are even more oppressed than boys, living under greater pressure to be invisible. Corporal punishment is common among Yemeni families because it is usually the only way known for discipline. Only very few understand or know about other non-violent techniques, and even fewer actually use them. In fact, the Yemeni law says that if a parent kills his own child, he is not to be punished in the same way as if he killed another person. Apparently, the reason is that the parent is the reason behind the child?s existence. The people who drew up and approved this law don?t understand the meaning of renowned Lebanese American poet Gibran Khalil Gibran?s verses: ?They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.? This is why I am a fan of all organizations that work for children, especially those organizations like SEYAJ that are not afraid to challenge accepted traditions and stand up for children and their rights....

SANA?A, Aug 26? Saudi Arabia continues to ban Yemeni sheep exports from entering the Saudi market. Since 2001 up to now, Saudi authorities request a certificate that Yemen is free of rift valley fever before they will even consider Yemeni sheep imports. ?We have been trying to coordinate with the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture for a long time to allow Yemeni sheep exports to enter their market. However, they refused, demanding that the Yemeni government provide a certificate stating Yemen is free of rift valley fever,? said Mansoor Al-Qadasi, Director of the Animal Health Department at the Ministry of Agriculture. ?Now for sure Yemen is free of rift valley fever, but Saudi authorities still ban Yemeni sheep imports for no reason,? Al-Qadasi stated. Though Saudi Arabia recently lifted a nine year long ban on sheep imports on both Jordan and Sudan this month, Yemen is still suffering the consequences of the old ban decision. The livelihoods of sheepherders in Yemen are being affected by the nine year long Saudi Arabia ban on Yemeni sheep. Meanwhile, smuggling is pushing prices of meat out of the reach of ordinary citizens in Yemen, said Yemeni experts. ?Sheep smuggling to Saudi Arabia is going on year round, but during Ramadan and some other seasons, smuggling increases due to the demand,? stated Mostafa Nasr, Chairman of the Studies and Economic Media Center. The Studies and Economic Media Center (SEMC) investigated Yemeni sheep smuggling into Saudi Arabia and found that the process is organized by professional smugglers. It includes the smuggling of ewes. The center reported that it commonly receives complaints from citizens of the Tihama region on the west coast of Yemen, the area most affected by the consequences of smuggling. ?Complaints said that the price of meat in coastal plantations doubled in the past year, reaching YR 2,000, or USD 10 for one kilogram,? according to the SEMC. According to the center, smugglers take Yemeni livestock to Saudi Arabia on a daily basis. Moreover, the center revealed techniques used by the smugglers. It said that smugglers buy livestock from Yemeni markets in western coastal areas and drive them to Saudi Arabia via the Haradh road. ?Smugglers pay between YR 1,000 to 2,000, the equivalent of USD 5 to 10, at every checkpoint to get crossing licenses,? explained the SEMC. ?The six crossing licenses that smugglers obtain from the various checkpoints are withdrawn at the last checkpoint. They then enter Saudi Arabia through Yemeni towns neighboring the kingdom,? stated the center. ?The most common Yemeni border towns for smuggling are Al-Mashnaq, Al-Madahesha, Al-Jafra and Qeta?a Al-Madafen,? it pointed out. The center demanded that Yemeni authorities take action against this illegal trade that has no revenues for the national economy and contributes to internal price hikes....

SANA?A, Aug. 26 ? Industry was the sector that most attracted investment in the first half of 2009, according to a recent report by Yemen's General Investment Authority (GIA). So far, industry in Yemen contributes to about 10 percent of the gross domestic product and around 4.5 percent of total workforce employment, according to previous Yemen Times reports. The Yemeni government has recently made efforts to attract foreign investment and boost the industrial sector to face the threat of oil depletion. ?Up to now, plans have been drawn up for more than ten industrial zones in Aden, Lahj, Hodeida, Hadramout and Al-Mahara,? Abdulrazzaq Al-Sururi, general manager of industrial zones at the Ministry of Industry and Trade told the Yemen Times earlier this month. Registered industrial projects reached 68 out of 144 registered at the GIA, with investment capital of around YR 60 million (USD 294,117) and creating 2,389 jobs. Total investment in all five of the industrial, agricultural, fisheries, services and tourism sectors reached over YR 1 billion (USD 490,196) in the first half of 2009. The services sector claimed the second largest portion of investment with 33 projects and investment capital exceeding YR 40 million (USD 196, 078), according to the report. The tourism sector came third with 23 projects and investment capital of over YR 20 million (USD 98,039). Agriculture was fourth most popular sector for investment with 19 projects attracting investment worth YR 4 million (USD 19, 607). Finally, the fishery sector came in the last with only one registered project with investment capital of YR 1.2 million (USD 5,882). Projects were registered at all 20 of the GIA?s branches in different governorates, of which around 46 of 144 projects were registered in Sana?a with investment capital of around YR 24 million (USD 117, 647). Foreign investors Despite foreign investment in Yemen decreasing in comparison with the same period last year, investors -namely from the Gulf and other parts of the Middle East- continued to pour capital into projects in Yemen, generating jobs for Yemenis. Foreign investment decreased from 26 projects during the same period in 2008 to 21 projects this year with investment capital of about YR 19 million (USD 93, 137). During the first half of 2009, Saudi Arabia contributed to the larger part of new investment projects in Yemen with four projects ? two in industry and two in services, with investment capital of over YR 4 million (USD 19,607) and creating around 238 jobs. Kuwait was second with three projects in industry, tourism and agriculture, investing over YR 3 million (USD 14,705) and generating employment for 142 people. Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan ranked third with two projects each. Iraq invested YR 11 million in an industrial project and a services project, providing 86 job opportunities for Yemenis. Lebanese investment capital in two projects -one in services and the other agriculture- reached YR 138,355 (USD 678), creating 28 jobs. The two Jordanian projects were in industry and services, with investment capital of YR 76,141 (USD 373) and providing 29 job opportunities. Finally, the UAE, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, Iran, China, Italy and India were fourth with one project for each country, with investment capital reaching no more than YR 289,818 (USD 1,420) all together, creating 197 jobs....

BAGHDAD -- A controversy over the disqualification of candidates threatened Tuesday to undermine the legitimacy of Iraq's recent elections and inflame supporters of a coalition seeking to topple the alliance led by the prime minister.

As troops massed on his border near the start of the Persian Gulf War, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein weighed the purchase of a $150 million nuclear "package" deal that included not only weapons designs but also production plants and foreign experts to supervise the building of a nuclear bomb, ac...

JERUSALEM -- After spending most of Tuesday celebrating what he called the "unshakable" bond between the United States and Israel, Vice President Biden ended the day strongly condemning the longtime U.S. ally for approving 1,600 new housing units in disputed east Jerusalem -- an awkwardly timed move...

Israeli officials are beginning to signal impatience with the slow pace of diplomacy aimed at restraining Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The removal of a Palestinian family has touched two nerves: the fate of East Jerusalem and the grievances of refugees from the 1948 war.

The plan to build 1,600 new homes in Jerusalem is likely to complicate relations with the U.S. as Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. tours the region.

The partial results of parliamentary elections will provide an incomplete picture of the vote that will nevertheless provide the broad outlines of the country?s political landscape.

Israel, widely believed to have nuclear weapons and possessing no oil, said on Tuesday that it intended to develop civilian nuclear plants for energy.

Iran?s judiciary last year charged 12 officials at the Kahrizak detention center in Tehran for involvement in the deaths of three protesters held there in July.

<a href="http://www.mideastweb.org/log/archives/00000780.htm">Horse Sense about America and the Middle East</a> </B> <p>On 20/02/10 At 06:52 PM</p>

<a href="http://www.mideastweb.org/log/archives/00000779.htm">Crystal Ball 2010</a> </B> <p>On 23/12/09 At 03:07 PM</p>

<a href="http://www.mideastweb.org/log/archives/00000778.htm">A Palestinian peace plan for all of us</a> </B> <p>On 02/12/09 At 06:39 PM</p>

<a href="http://www.mideastweb.org/log/archives/00000777.htm">The end of the peace process movie?</a> </B> <p>On 09/11/09 At 02:43 PM</p>

<a href="http://www.mideastweb.org/log/archives/00000776.htm">The summit of the absurd: Middle East process without peace</a> </B> <p>On 23/09/09 At 02:04 PM</p>

The article contains lies. There are no survivors who can identify John Demjanjuk as being in Sobibor. There were none at the time of his trial in Israel. Demjanjuk denies ever having been a guard in any camp. There is no evidence that proves he was there. The "Trawniki ID" was shown to be a KGB forgery during the Israeli trial. This trial and the continuing persecution and slander of John Demjanjuk is a stain on the memory of the millions who died.

I cam to read Rabbi Yosef's comments, and the photo of the soldiers in drag for Purim was a bonus!

If the present U.S. administration continues to distance itself from Israels national interests, it won't be the 12th Imam Mahdi that Amadinijahd will be meeting it will eventually be Jesus Christ at his own judgement.

DO NOT FORGET US

THESE PICTURES ARE NOT FUNNY AT ALL THEY ARE STUPID LIKE THE INVENTOR ESPECIALLY THE PICTURE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST HANGING ON THE CROSS FOR YOU AND ME AND SAVING THE WORLD FROM SUFFERINGS. I WILL REPORT VIOLENCE , I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WHO EVER MADE THESE SILLY PICTURE OF OUR ONLY GOD JESUS CHRIST TO REMOVE THEM AND GO TO CHURCH AND REPENT. GOD FORGIVE YOUUU

Writing Arabic in Latin alphabet is really annoying and I don't want to read it or engage in it, OK? If you send me text messages from the Middle East, either write Arabic or English but not both.

""Two of the soldiers stopped us and handcuffed us," Amir said. "They brought us to two separate jeeps. They took me to the settlement and put me in a corner. I still had handcuffs on. They put a dog next to me. I said that I wanted to go home. They said no, and told me I would stay here forever. They refused to let me use the bathroom. They wouldn't let me call my mother. They blindfolded me and I stayed there like that until my father was able to come and get me late at night." Amir's detention inside the settlement lasted nearly ten hours. "The only thing that I thought about was how afraid I was, especially with the dog beside me. I wanted to run away and go back to my house," he said." (thanks Nora)

"Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, said on Monday the Palestinian Authority (PA) urged him to step down after he criticized the PA?s treatment of a UN war crimes report."

"Hassan Al-Muhtaseb, 12, was released Sunday, when an Israeli military court in Ofer prison ordered his father to pay 2,000 shekel fine. "The boy was detained near his family home, and there were no witnesses who testified that he threw stones at Israeli soldiers. No indictment was filed against the boy. This hearing contradicts the 1989 convention on children?s rights which Israel signed in 1991 according to which a minor can?t be jailed with adults. Thus, we demand immediate release of Hassan," said one of the lawyers representing the child. " (thanks Yasmine)

"In inner circles Ben Gurion spoke very differently. At the beginning of the month, at a special meeting of the secretariat of MAPAI (the leading party), he listed proudly the names of the Palestinian villages already occupied by the Hagana and the other Jewish paramilitary groups. In a long speech, he explained that the next objectives of the military effort would be Haifa and Jaffa. In his words, these principal urban centres were ?islands? in the midst of a Jewish sea. They were not islands, and calling them that diminished their spatial span; they encompassed more than 100,000 people, and many thousands more lived in their hinterlands. The process I call
?urbicide? (destruction of urban space and expulsion of its residents), happened that April and ended with the forced departure of more than 200,000 Palestinians from their homes up and down the land. Another 70,000 urban Palestinians were expelled from Ramallah and Lydda in July 1948." Le Monde Diplomatique, March 2010. (thanks Laleh)

(Photo: The U.S. Army; Edited: Lance Page / t r u t h o u t) As Iraqi national elections on March 7 approach, violence and political discord in the country have escalated dramatically. On February 22, Gen. Ray Odierno, the top US commander in Iraq, announced that the US was preparing contingency plans to delay [...]

Download MP3 We’re joined by journalist Dahr Jamail, author of Beyond the Green Zone, Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq. He’s been on tour with his latest book, The Will to Resist, Soldiers who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, and his February 8th article in TruthOut.org, “Army Imprisons Soldier for Singing Against [...]

Army Specialist and Iraq war veteran, Marc Hall. Photo: Courage to Resist; Edited: Lance Page / t r u t h o u t US Army Specialist Marc Hall, jailed for writing a song about the personal impact of being forced to remain in the military, including lyrics the Army claims are veiled threats of violence, [...]

Photo: Staff Sgt. Jason Robertson / The U.S. Army); Edited: Jared Rodriguez / t r u t h o u t “Look around,” the drill sergeant said. “In a few years, or even a few months, several of you will be dead. Some of you will be severely wounded or so badly mutilated that your own [...]

Army Spc. Alexis Hutchinson with son Kamani Hutchinson. (Photo: Alexis Hutchinson / Oakland Tribune) On Thursday, February 11, Army Specialist Alexis Hutchinson, a single mother of an infant son, was informed she would be granted an administrative discharge from the Army. Last fall, Hutchinson was ordered to prepare to deploy to Afghanistan. On November 5, 2009, after [...]

With the onset of the 2004 US-led invasion of Iraq, the ancient Assyrian Christian community was at

Link Last Updated: March 01. 2010 12:13AM UAE / February 28. 2010 8:13PM GMT The three-party meeting

This article is part two in my series on The Rapture, The Dome and the Third Temple. According to a

Link The son of one of Hamas?s founding members was a spy in the service of Israel for more than a d

Saudi Arabia’s attempts to promote ‘good’ muslim morals again.  This time it

How ironic that a regime that so insistently perpetuated the cult of martyrdom may itself become undone with the aid of an Iranian martyr: a 26-year-old woman named Neda Agha-Solton.  With images of fatally wounded Neda's bloodied face ricocheting around Iran and the world via the Internet, her tragic death exactly a week ago instantly made [...]

A few readers raised the very reasonable complaint that none of us has blogged about the events in Iran. You're right. A few feeble excuses: Andrew was in Saudi, Scott back in the U.S. and I was traveling through Lebanon and Syria.  This may come as something of a shock to a few of the [...]

Republican critics of the Obama Administration are having a field day with the crisis in Iran. To them, Obama's less than forceful criticism of the Iranian government's crackdown on protesters  in Tehran smacks of the lack of resolve typical of Democrats. Some have compared Obama to Jimmy Carter, whose bungled handling of the hostage crisis at [...]

Arriving in Saudi Arabia for the first time is initially anti-climactic. I guess I was expecting Riyadh, the capital of this fabulously wealthy desert kingdom, to have a little more bling. In reality, Riyadh has just two tall buildings, including the iconic Kingdom Center (pictured left.) Not much to compare with with Dubai's skyscraper alley [...]

So far most Arab leaders have reacted to the Iranian electoral crisis in typical Middle Eastern fashion: they haven't. Amir Moussa, the head of the Arab League, took one for the team and made this non-statement statement: "We hope that the next term will witness progress on the relations between Iran and the Arab world [...]

NASIRIYAH, Iraq, (AP) ? American bomb disposal experts in Iraq say few people understood what they did. Not any more. Now, the U.S. military's explosive experts are basking in their job's newfound

London, Asharq Al-Awsat-Dr. Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri is the Pakistani Islamic scholar who recently made headlines with the publication of his 600-page fatwa prohibiting suicide bombing. Ul-Qadri is

Sanaa, Asharq Al-Awsat- Abdul-Ilah Haydar, a Yemen-based terrorism expert, talks to Asharq al Awsat about his visits to territories where Al-Qaeda elements and its sympathizers are present. Haydar also

No wonder that the bulk of Saudi newspaper headlines covering King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz's speech to the Shura Council were similar, and the reason for this is that the King touched upon the priorities

Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat - Two youths in their twenties broke into and burned down a cultural center in the Saudi capital of Riyadh yesterday. Fire fighters, Red Crescent teams, and security patrols

MUSCAT | His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of condolences to President Abdullah Gul of Turkey following the earthquake that claimed 51 lives in Eastern Turkey on Monday.

MUSCAT | Passengers can now fly from Muscat to Dubai on Oman Air for RO22, inclusive of all taxes, a generous baggage allowance, lounge access for Sindbad Silver and Gold frequent flyers, the airline said in a release yesterday.

MUSCAT | Omanâ??s tennis ace Fatma Al Nabhani qualified for the main draw of the $10,000 Antalya Futures in Turkey, by winning four rounds of qualifying matches.

MUSCAT | The Oman-UAE Higher Joint Committee meeting began at Al Bustan Palace hotel yesterday, under the chair of Sayyid Ali bin Hamoud bin Ali Al Busaidi,

MUSCAT | Omanâ??s economic success story, which combines tapping new fields of business with positive, ongoing oil and gas exploration, is mapped out in a business guide just published by Oxford Business Group (OBG), the leading global publishing, research and consultancy firm.

SHEIKH JARRAH, Occupied East Jerusalem, Mar 9 (IPS) - Amid the wave of violence that swept through the occupied Palestinian West Bank, including East Jerusalem, over the last few days, there are signs that the Israeli left may be emerging from its collective coma.

WASHINGTON, Mar 8 (IPS) - The holding of Iraq's third parliamentary elections on Sunday has generated a sense of satisfaction in Washington, but there is a feeling of anxiety about how the post-election negotiation process to form a new government might proceed.

BRUSSELS, Mar 8 (IPS) - For the first time since September 2006, Mahmoud Abu Rahma, a leading figure in the Palestinian human rights group Al Mezan, has been granted permission to travel outside Gaza.

JERUSALEM, Mar 8 (IPS) - Was it Yasser Arafat's biggest political error? A decade ago, the deadline for the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel as envisaged in the 1993 Oslo peace accords thrust itself into the fruitless Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.

WASHINGTON, Mar 6 (IPS) - As Iraqis go to the polls on Sunday, a key question in the minds of many in Iraq and Washington is whether secular candidates can continue their recent rise and possibly come out as winners.