09 December 2009 - 12H40

Nuclear scientist, former minister among 11 'held by US'Iran claimed on Tuesday the US is holding a former deputy defence minister and 10 other Iranian citizens. Tehran only named nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri (photo), accusing Washington of abducting him during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

By News Wires (text)

REUTERS - Iran believes the United States is holding a former deputy defence minister who disappeared in 2007 and 10 other Iranian nationals, according to a list carried by the semi-official Mehr news agency on Wednesday.

Separately, a Saudi official denied Iran's claim that Riyadh handed an Iranian nuclear scientist to the United States, saying the kingdom had searched in vain for him on its territory.

"Saudi authorities searched for him after being informed of his disappearance in

Medina and at all the hospitals, hotels and centres in Mecca -- even at his place of residence -- but they could not find him," Saudi Foreign Ministry media chief Osama al-Nogali said.

On Tuesday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokesman said 11 Iranians were being detained in the United States, naming only the missing scientist, Shahram Amiri. U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, speaking to reporters in Washington, declined to comment on the situation.

The list on Mehr also named former deputy minister Ali Reza Asgari and included a former ambassador to Jordan.

Iran and the United States have had no diplomatic relationship for three decades and are embroiled in a long-running row over Tehran's nuclear programme, which the West suspects is aimed at making bombs. Iran denies the charge.

Iran's foreign ministry was "seriously following" the cases of the 11 Iranians held in the United States through legal and diplomatic channels, Mehr said.

In 2007, Iran's police chief suggested that Asgari, who disappeared in Turkey that year, had been kidnapped by Western intelligence services. Israel and the United States have denied any involvement in the disappearance.

At the time, Turkish newspapers reported that Asgari had information on Iran's nuclear programme. Turkish, Arabic and Israeli media have suggested Asgari defected to the West, but his family dismissed that.

"There are documents and evidence showing he has been transferred to the United States," Mehr said.

Amiri, a researcher working for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, disappeared during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in June. Media reports said he wanted to seek asylum abroad.

Three months after he disappeared Iran disclosed the existence of its second uranium enrichment site, near the central holy Shi'ite city of Qom, further heightening tension over the Islamic state's atomic activities.

Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia, a key regional ally of the United States, shares its fears that Iran's nuclear energy programme is aimed in part at acquiring nuclear weapons and opposes Tehran's backing for Shi'ite and anti-U.S. militant groups in the region such as Lebanon's Hezbollah.

http://www.france24.com/en/20091209-teheran-accuses-washington-holding-nuclear-scientist-10-other-iranian-citizens?autoplay=

Palestinian student Berlanty Azzam speaks to the press on the Gaza Strip side of Erez crossing terminal with Israel following a court hearing with her lawyer and Israeli authorities in November 2009. Israel's top court on Wednesday upheld a decision under which Azzam was deported from Bethlehem to Gaza just two months before she was due to complete her bachelor's degree.09 December 2009

Israel top court upholds deportation of Palestinian to Gaza
Palestinian student Berlanty Azzam speaks to the press on the Gaza Strip side of Erez crossing terminal with Israel following a court hearing with her lawyer and Israeli authorities in November 2009. Israel's top court on Wednesday upheld a decision under which Azzam was deported from Bethlehem to Gaza just two months before she was due to complete her bachelor's degree.
Palestinian student Berlanty Azzam speaks to the press on the Gaza Strip side of Erez crossing terminal with Israel following a court hearing with her lawyer and Israeli authorities in November 2009. Israel's top court on Wednesday upheld a decision under which Azzam was deported from Bethlehem to Gaza just two months before she was due to complete her bachelor's degree.

AFP - Israel's top court on Wednesday upheld a decision under which a Palestinian student was deported from Bethlehem to Gaza just two months before she was due to complete her bachelor's degree.

"I am very disappointed, and I don't understand why Israel is preventing me from continuing my studies," said Berlanty Azzam, 22, who was a student at the Vatican-sponsored Bethlehem university before she was forcefully removed because her ID had a Gaza address.

"They don't claim that my return to Bethlehem University poses a security risk, and studying at a Palestinian university is my right and the right of every Palestinian student," she said.

Azzam was handcuffed and blindfolded when she was sent to Gaza on October 28, according to the Israeli human rights group Gisha which had petitioned the court to allow her to return.

The Supreme Court's ruling upheld the state's decision that Azzam may not return to the West Bank because she had lived there since 2005 without the necessary Israeli permit.

The state admitted that Azzam had received a permit to travel to the West Bank via Israel in 2005 but argued that she should have obtained a further authorisation to remain there, even though it admitted none existed at the time, according to Gisha.

Israel controls the Palestinian population registry and since 2000 has not permitted address changes from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank.

Azzam's lawyer, Yadin Elam said it is "absurd" and contrary to international law that a Palestinian should need an Israeli permit to live in the West Bank.

"I cannot imagine why the state of Israel is so insistent on preventing Palestinian young people, against whom it makes no security claims whatsoever, from accessing higher education," he said.

Like Azzam, an estimated 25,000 Palestinians could be forcibly sent to Gaza because their addresses are registered there, according to Gisha.

Residents of Gaza cannot leave the tiny enclave, except in some medical emergency cases, because of an embargo Israel imposed after the Islamist Hamas movement seized power there in 2007.

Kenyans start to embrace daring fashion

Women modelling Kenyan fashion designs

By Kevin Mwachiro
BBC News, Nairobi

Kenya's fashion designers are trying to step into the spotlight and overturn their somewhat dull reputation.

Within East Africa, Kenyans are renowned for being the worst dressed.

Practical and predictable would be the best description of Kenyans' fashion sensibilities.

Jeans, T-shirts and suits - one size too big - make up many a wardrobe, with a colour palette of grey and brown.


People are willing to invest in Kenyan designs and now can be heard name-dropping at functions
Writer Judy Munyinyi, Nairobi

But now more and more Kenyans are embracing local fashion labels.

Designers who have worked, showcased or studied abroad are injecting a badly needed new lease of life to the industry.

Their collections are bold, bright and, for Kenya, daring.

"I think we have all decided to come back to our roots, we are using a lot of local materials and promoting a lot from our own country," said Rachel Maithya, who runs the fashion label, ki2.

"I'm using a lot of fabric and I'm trying to make it in a modern and very fashionable way, to have also the young people wanting to wear that and want to be seen around with that."



Shopaholic's paradise

But the industry faces two major obstacles - second-hand clothes markets and cheap Chinese imports.

Women modelling Kenyan fashion designs
A dress by a local designer can cost upwards of $100

Sunshine boutiques, as the markets are commonly known, are a shopaholic's paradise.

Despite offering employment opportunities and choice for the consumer, they pose a major hurdle to the growth of the fashion industry.

In the 1980s, the country's textile industry was the leading manufacturing sector.

But the government has not helped much in trying to revive the industry.

During this year's budget, import duties on second-hand clothes were lowered, making foreign-made clothes even cheaper.

Cheap chic

In the markets, wooden shacks are draped with a wide array of clothes.

Whole outfits can be mixed and matched for less than $10 (£6).

Advertisement

A look at Kenya's catwalk fashion

Cheap, cheerful and chic.

In comparison, a single dress by a designer can cost upwards of $100.

Critics of the industry argue that the prices of most outfits being made by the local designers are too expensive, exclusive and lack originality, borrowing heavily from the 'Wests' - Western countries or West Africa.

But Kevin Mbugua, the style editor of Adam Magazine, points out that it is impossible for local designers to compete against a sector where an item like a shirt could cost less than $1.

Lack of exposure

Designer John Kaveke boasts 10 years' experience in the industry with his label, Kaveke.

He and his fellow designers defend their high prices, placing the blame on the high cost of production, the lack of affordable local produced textiles and the fact that their creations are one-of-a-kind.

model wearing Kenyan designer dress
A lot of Kenyans are turning their backs on boring clothes

Though to him, these are secondary issues.

He says the key problem facing the fashion industry is the lack of exposure for Kenyan designers.

David Ohingo, a Nairobi resident and creative, agrees: "There isn't enough marketing done to promote local designers. It's too costly for them to employ teams to sell their work. It is expensive for them to get the word out."

Most designers sell directly from their workshops.

There are only a few who have opened shops but a group of designers have got together and opened a store under a collective label.

Names like Sura Zuri, Moo Cow, Kooroo, Rialto designs, Kiko Romeo, Monica Kanari and Spice may not yet make the fashion racks or the pages of international fashion magazines.

But they are slowly getting noticed.

Writer Judy Munyinyi notes: "The industry is growing, the people who helped start the industry have grown and have become more established and recognised. There is a lot more recognition for Kenyan designers.

"A lot more Kenyans are willing to patronise the industry even if not that often. People are willing to invest in Kenyan designs and now can be heard name-dropping at functions."

The demise of Kenya Fashion Week four years ago dealt a heavy blow to what had been hailed as a promising industry.

But recent events like the Africa Fashion Fair and the Festival for African Fashion and Arts are showcasing Kenyan designers.

It seems a heightened sense of national pride and the desire to outwardly display forms of patriotism are forcing the Kenyan fashion industry to finally step out of the shadows.


Bookmark with:

* Delicious
* Digg
* reddit
* Facebook
* StumbleUpon

What are these?
E-mail this to a friend Printable version

Print Sponsor
Advertisement
Ads by Google
Get the Latest Fashions
Find City Hearts Designer Fashion & Clothing at Hot HSN Prices. Buy Now
www.HSN.com
Teach English in Africa
Get certified to teach in Africa. Hundreds of teaching jobs monthly.
www.OxfordSeminars.com
Rihanna Photos
Check Out Red Carpet Photos of Your Fave Celebs. Rihanna & More!
myLifetime.com/AllTheLooks

Surge in East Jerusalem Palestinians losing residency
05.12.09 - 20:43
Israel stripped a record number of Palestinians of their right to live in East Jerusalem last year, an Israeli rights group has said.

ImageSome 4,570 people had their residency rights removed, more than a third of the total number since Israel took control of East Jerusalem in 1967.

Palestinians fear an attempt to reduce their presence in Jerusalem, which both they and Israel claim as their capital.

Israel says most of those stripped of their rights were living abroad.

Palestinians living in East Jerusalem were offered Israeli citizenship after Israel occupied the area in 1967 and later annexed it.

Many refused, not wanting to recognise Israeli sovereignty, and were instead given residency.

But, according to the Israeli rights organisation Hamoked, if these Palestinians live abroad for seven years, or gain citizenship or residency elsewhere, they lose their Israeli residency.

Hamoked obtained the figures from the Interior Ministry using the Freedom of Information Act.

The organisation said that some of those who had lost their citizenship may now be stateless, or may not even be aware they have lost their residency.

Family visits and students studying abroad would be affected, it said.

Hamoked executive director Dalia Kerstein said the phenomenon had "reached frightening dimensions".

Israel's interior ministry said it had carried out a "comprehensive check" that people listed as residents of Israel had their lives centred in the country, and many were found to be living abroad.

Former Israeli Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit, who initiated the survey, told the BBC "it is a very normal, regular idea that people who are not living here for a long time" are not supposed to be residents.

He said those who had appealed had been approved to stay.

"The state of Israel pays billions of shekels a year in stipends to people who don't even live here," he told Haaretz.

The figures come amid Palestinian fears that Israel is trying to increase its control over East Jerusalem and cut it off from the West Bank, through the building of the West Bank barrier, house demolitions and evictions.

The right-leaning government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintains that Jerusalem is Israel's "eternal, undivided capital".

But it says recent demolitions and evictions are simply issues of law enforcement.

On Tuesday, a draft document leaked to Haaretz suggested the EU was considering hardening its stance on the city.

According to the newspaper, the document called for East Jerusalem to become the capital of a future Palestinian state.

The EU has never recognised Israel's annexation of the east of the city, which is illegal under international law.

Its formal position has been that the city's status is to be decided in negotiations, although some EU leaders have called for it to be a future shared capital.

Israel's foreign ministry reacted angrily to the reports, saying the apparent move by Sweden, which holds the EU presidency, "harms the European Union's ability to take part as a significant mediator... between Israel and the Palestinians".

It said the EU should be pressuring the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table, but the step would have "the opposite effect."

About a third of Jerusalem's residents - a quarter of a million people - are Palestinians with Israeli residency or Israeli-Arabs, who have Israeli citizenship.

Israel's annexation of the east of the city has never been recognised by the international community.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7669

http://www.france24.com/en/20091205-martial-law-election-linked-massacre-philippines-major-clans-arroyo-ampatuan

Martial law is imposed after election-linked massacre

The military chief in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao has taken over as local governor after martial law was imposed following an election-related massacre last month.


AFP - The Philippines on Saturday announced the imposition of martial law in a southern province to quell a rebellion by a powerful clan accused of being behind the massacre of 57 people.

President Gloria Arroyo placed Maguindanao province under military control late on Friday in an effort to contain heavily armed militias belonging to the provincial governor and other members of his Muslim clan, authorities said.

"There's a rebellion in the area," Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said. "It was practically an overthrow of government."

Arroyo's controversial move is the first time martial law has been declared in the Philippines since the reign of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who had the whole of the country under martial law from 1972 to 1981.

Authorities insisted martial law was necessary to rein in swarms of heavily armed gunmen loyal to the Ampatuan clan who had threatened violence if their leaders were taken into custody.

Within hours of the declaration, special forces detained the province's governor and clan patriarch, Andal Ampatuan Snr, who had ruled Maguindanao since 2001 with Arroyo's support and the backing of a private army.

More than 4,000 government soldiers were deployed in Shariff Aguak, the provincial capital, and other Ampatuan strongholds, the military said.

By nightfall on Saturday, 32 people had been taken into custody, including five members of the Ampatuan family and 20 of their militiamen, national police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa told reporters in Manila.

The militiamen were arrested in a raid on an Ampatuan warehouse that also netted 340,000 rounds of ammunition for M16 assault rifles, Verzosa said.

But he warned that the many gunmen not yet rounded up were likely to fight back.

"So far, there has been no firefight but we expect there will be an engagement because they are armed," he said.

Andal Ampatuan Jnr, a son of the patriarch, is already in a Manila detention centre after being charged with 25 counts of murder for the November 23 massacre that took place in a farming area near Shariff Aguak town.

Police allege he and 100 of his men shot dead the occupants of a convoy that included relatives of his rival for the post of governor in next year's elections, as well as a group of journalists.

The rival, Esmael Mangudadatu, said the killings were carried out to stop him running for office.

The military said one of the triggers for martial law was the discovery on Thursday of a huge cache of weapons buried a few hundred metres (yards) from the family's compound in Shariff Aguak.

The cache included three anti-tank recoilless rifles, mortars, machine guns, rifles and pistols, and thousands of rounds of ammunition -- enough to arm two battalions or about 1,000 soldiers.

Devanadera said local governments had stopped functioning as a result of efforts by forces loyal to the Ampatuans to foment rebellion.

But Arroyo's critics said martial law was not justified and might be unconstitutional.

They also warned it might be a prelude to her seizing similar control of other parts of the country or even part of a bid to remain in power after the constitution requires her to step down next June.

"We believe there's no basis for the implementation of martial law," said opposition Senator Benigno Aquino, the front-runner in next year's presidential elections.

Muslim rebels fighting for an independent homeland have been waging a rebellion on Maguindanao and other parts of Mindanao island since the late 1970s. The conflict has claimed more than 150,000 lives, the military says.

Arroyo's government has used Muslim clans such as the Ampatuans to rule these areas, and allowed them to build up their own armies as part of a controversial containment strategy against the insurgents.

Andal Ampatuan Snr and Jnr were members of Arroyo's ruling coalition until last week.

News Middle East

Palestinian man hit in car attack



Violence erupted in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday when a Palestinian man entered a petrol station at the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba in the occupied West Bank and stabbed two settlers.

But that was not the end of the story. According to the Israeli army, the Palestinian was then shot by a soldier, after which a car, apparently driven by a settler, ran over the wounded Palestinian, twice, with Israeli soldiers all around.

Jacky Rowland reports.

*Viewers may find some of the images disturbing.