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By Robert Reich, Robert Reich’s Blog

08 October 12

@ readersupportednews.org

When the applause among Democrats and recriminations among Republicans begin to quiet down – probably within the next few days – the President will have to make some big decisions. The biggest is on the economy.

His victory and the pending “fiscal cliff” give him an opportunity to recast the economic debate. Our central challenge, he should say, is not to reduce the budget deficit. It’s to create more good jobs, grow the economy, and widen the circle of prosperity.

The deficit is a problem only in proportion to the overall size of the economy. If the economy grows faster than its current 2 percent annualized rate, the deficit shrinks in proportion. Tax receipts grow, and the deficit becomes more manageable.

But if economic growth slows – as it will, if taxes are raised on the middle class and if government spending is reduced when unemployment is still high – the deficit becomes larger in proportion. That’s the austerity trap Europe finds itself in. We don’t want to go there.

This is why January’s so-called “fiscal cliff” – $600 billion in automatic spending cuts and tax increases – is so dangerous. It’s too much deficit reduction, too soon. Tax increases on the middle class would reduce their spending just when the economy needs that spending in order to keep growing, and cuts in government’s own spending would make the problem worse.

If we go over the fiscal cliff, we’re in another recession. Don’t just take my word for it. That’s also the view of the Congressional Budget Office and most private economic forecasters.

The way to ensure continued growth is to continue the President’s payroll tax cut and extend the Bush tax cuts for income under $250,000, and continue government spending.

The way to increase growth is to permanently exempt the first $20,000 of income from the payroll tax and make up for lost revenues by raising the ceiling on income subject to it (that ceiling is now $110,100). And increase government spending – especially on critical public investments like education, job training, and infrastructure.

Any “grand bargain” on deficit reduction should contain a starting trigger – and that trigger should be when the economy can safely be assumed to be back on track. I’d make that trigger 6 percent unemployment and 3 percent economic growth for two consecutive quarters, and make sure that trigger was in the legislation.

The President needs to make it clear to the public that the only way we can achieve a better economy is through a larger and more buoyant middle class. If we continue lurching toward widening inequality and ever more concentrated income and wealth at the top, the vast middle class – as well as all those who aspire to join it – won’t have the purchasing power to grow the economy and create more jobs.

That’s why taxes must be increased on the wealthy, and the proceeds used to reduce the deficit over the long term, extend and enlarge the Earned Income Tax Credit (a wage subsidy for lower-income workers), and invest in education.

The President’s victory doesn’t give him a clear mandate to achieve any of this – the margin of victory was too small, and he didn’t tell the American electorate explicitly that his priority would be creating jobs and growing the middle class instead of reducing the deficit.

But his victory gives him the attention of the nation and the authority that comes with having won reelection. It therefore gives him the opportunity to recast the economic debate. The upcoming fiscal cliff makes it particularly urgent he do so quickly.

Robert B. Reich, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, was Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration. Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written thirteen books, including the best sellers “Aftershock” and “The Work of Nations.” His latest is an e-book, “Beyond Outrage.” He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause.

Eleven Citizens Martyred, Tens Injured as Terrorists Blow up Booby-Trapped Car and two Explosives at al-Worod Neighborhood in Damascus

Nov 06, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA)-Terrorists blew up a booby-trapped car and two explosives at al-Worod neighborhood in Damascus, claiming the lives of 11 martyrs and injuring  tens of the innocents in  the area, some of them in critical condition.

A source in  al-Muasaa Hospital told SANA that the hospital received 6 bodies of the martyrs and 29 others injured due to the terrorist explosions, most of them children and women.

The source added that some of the injured were in critical condition and they were given the first aid.

A source in Yousef al-Azma Hospital stated it received 5 martyrs  in addition to 28 persons injured, their conditions range between middle and critical.

SANA reporter at the site of the explosions declared that the terrorist act led to grave damages in the houses of citizens, destruction of a number of cars, shops’ facades in addition to huge damages in the infrastructure, service, telephone and electric networks.

Foreign Ministry: Terrorist Acts Supported by Some UNSC Members Uncover Truth of What is Happening in Syria and Those Responsible for Terrorism

Nov 06, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – In identical letters directed to the Chairman of the UN Security Council, Chairman of the UN General Assembly and the UN Secretary General, the Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Ministry on Tuesday said that since the beginning of the crisis in Syria, a number of permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council have been giving misleading images of the forces that helped put Syria on the path of violence, killing and destruction with the goal of promoting their own policies and destroy Syria as a country and as a people.

In the letters which focused on the recent terrorist bombings in Syria and the support of some western and regional countries to terrorists, the Ministry said that within the past few days, blind terrorism, Al Qaeda and other criminal militants struck in many areas in Syria, martyring and wounding hundreds of Syrian citizens, including women and children.

The Ministry said that the terrorist acts committed by armed terrorist groups which are supported by some permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, in addition to their open collusion, blatant funding and public arming of terrorists including providing them with Stinger missiles uncover the truth of what is happening in Syria and the sides responsible for terrorism.

“Countries like France, Turkey and specifically Qatar, in addition to Libya which has become an incubator hatching terrorists, issued stances that adopt the acts of terrorist organization and express commitment to facilitate their movement, which contradicts relevant Security Council resolutions on counter-terrorism,” the letters said, adding that this is accompanied by mobilizing a misleading media machine to rally the global public opinion against Syria.

The Ministry pointed out that one in a series of terrorist bombings which took place in Syria recently was the terrorist bombing which took place in al-Mazzeh 86 area in Damascus on November 5th, 2012, which claimed the lives of tens and injured tens, in addition to blowing up a civilian bus in al-Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, which martyred five citizens including women and children and an attack on the same camp with Mortar rounds which also claimed lives.

The letters noted that some media outlets uncovered one of the many war crimes committed by the so-called opposition in the town of Selkin, as a video was published showing terrorists murdering a number of unarmed Syrian Arab Army soldiers and civilians, torturing them then shooting them without mercy.

The Ministry said that other Syrian cities witnessed dozens of incidents which were reported to the Security Council officially, but it didn’t receive an objective response from the Council, adding that terrorist gangs are now besieging citizens and starving them, driving them to the edge of disaster and depriving them from the humanitarian aid which the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent have been attempting to deliver to the towns of Harem and Selkin for over two months, adding that this didn’t cause any reaction from those who call themselves custodians of human rights and defenders of international law and humanitarian law.

The letters said that according to international law, countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Libya, Turkey, Britain, France and the United States who provide terrorist groups with funds and weapons are accessories in the crimes committed in Syria, and that countries that claim falsely to combat terrorism continue to protect these crimes and cancel the Security Council’s role in taking the simplest procedures to condemn them, noting that this was done by the United States, Germany and Britain recently.

The Ministry reiterated Syria’s demands that the Security Council play its role in condemning international terrorism and forcing certain countries to cease their arming, funding and harboring of terrorist groups, warning against the repercussions of continuing along this path  as it violates Security Council resolutions on counter-terrorism, international humanitarian laws, human rights laws, and threatens security and peace in the region and the world.

The letters concluded by saying that instead of supporting and protecting terrorism, these countries should encourage Syrian opposition sides to engage in national dialogue to resolve the crisis through negotiations among Syrians and led by Syria.

Brother of the People’s Assembly Speaker Assassinated, Terrorists Targeted in Several Provinces

Nov 06, 2012

PROVINCES, (SANA) – Terrorists on Tuesday morning assassinated Dr. Mohammad Osama al-Laham, brother of the People’s Assembly’s Speaker, in al-Thuraya area in al-Midan neighborhood in Damascus.

A source in the province told SANA that terrorists opened fire at al-Laham in his car while he was on his way to work, causing his immediate martyrdom.

The assassination of al-Laham, who holds a PhD in Agriculture, came in the framework of the terrorist groups’ targeting of the national skills and qualified cadres.

Terrorists Open fires at a bus, claiming the lives of Two martyrs in al-Hasaka

Terrorists today opened fire on a passenger-bus coming from Aleppo at Mabroka area, near Ras al-Ein city in al-Hassaka, leading to the martyrdom and injuries of a number of citizens.

A source in al-Hasaka told SANA reporter that the terrorist act claimed that lives of two innocents while three others were injured.

Terrorists Blow up Explosive Stuck to Car, Injuring Two citizens

Terrorists blew up an explosive stuck to a private car in Barza in Damascus, leading to the injuring of the driver and his wife.

A source in Damascus Police told SANA that the explosion took place near Qaseoun club, adding that the driver in a critical condition.

The Army Inflicts Heavy losses Among Terrorists in Aleppo and its Countryside

The Army today carried out a number of qualitative operations in Aleppo and its countryside, eliminating terrorists and destroying their cars used for transporting weapons and persons.

SANA reporter quoted a source as saying that a unit of the Army destroyed 12 cars filled with munitions and weapons on Akhtarin- Kfar Hamra , al-Lermon-Kfar Hamra roads in Aleppo countryside.

The source added that a unit of the army killed a number of terrorists during an operation against their gatherings near al-Bawari factory in Kfar Naha in Aleppo countryside.

It said that another army unit inflicted heavy losses upon the terrorists after destroying a den where they were hiding to the west of cemetery at Dir Hafer in Aleppo countryside.

Meanwhile, the Army destroyed a car equipped with DSHK machinegun at Dir Hafer.

In the city of Aleppo, a unit of the army carried out 5 qualitative operations against the terrorists at al-Lermon, al-Kalasa, Sheikh Said and the old city, inflicting heavy losses among the terrorists, killing the most dangerous terrorists among them Beibo Ahmad Skeif.

Armed Forces Foil Terrorist Car Bomb Attack in al- Tadamon, Damascus

The Armed Forces foiled a terrorist car bomb attack at Nisreen Street in al-Tadamon neighborhood in Damascus.

An official source told SANA reporter that members of the engineering units dismantled the explosives planted in a Dacia car parked near Iskandaron School in al-Tadamon neighborhood.

Terrorists Killed in Harasta, Damascus Countryside

A unit of the Armed Forces killed all members of an armed terrorist group who attacked citizens and vandalized public and private properties in al-Seil neighborhood in Harasta in Damascus Countryside.

An official source told SANA reporter that terrorists Mohammad Adnan al-Kurdi and another terrorist called Mehi Eddin from the so called “Saif al-Islam ” battalion were identified among the dead.

It added that terrorist called Abdullah al-Dub, a leader of the so-called “Shabab al-Huda in Liwaa al-Islam ” group was also killed.

Armed Forces Eliminate a Number of Terrorists in Deir Ezzor

A unit of the Armed Forces clashed with an armed terrorist group in al-Mouazafin neighborhood in Deir Ezzor and killed four of its members.

Earlier, a unit of the Armed Forces clashed with terrorists in the neighborhood and killed a large number of them, an official source told SANA reporter.

Another unit of the Armed Forces clashed with an armed terrorist group in al-Bousaraya St. in Deir Ezzor city and inflicted heavy losses on the terrorists.

A source in the province told SANA reporter that among the terrorists killed was Abdullah Yasin al-Nayef, one of the most wanted terrorists in the city.

Armed Forces Target Dens of Armed Terrorist Groups in Homs

Units of the Armed Forces carried out qualitative operations against a number of terrorists’ hideouts in Taldaw town in al-Houleh area in the countryside of Homs, inflicting heavy losses upon them.

A source in the province said that the operations resulted in destroying two workshops for making explosive devices and missiles and ten cars equipped with DShK machineguns.

A number of terrorist were killed in the operations, among them terrorists Haitham Hallaq, Shadi al-Qasem, Taher Bakkour, Mohammad Mishaal, and Awad Tayyara.

The source added that an army unit killed a large number of terrorists in Bab Hood neighborhood in Homs city.

It pointed out that the military engineering units dismantled two explosive devices planted by terrorists near al-Zara bridge on Homs – Tartous highway.

On the other hand, a dispute between two terrorist groups over dividing the loots caused the injury of a number of terrorists in al-Mubarakiyeh area in the countryside of al-Qseir.

Explosive Devices Dismantled in Hama

The engineering units dismantled two explosive devices planted by an armed terrorist group in Tariq Halab neighborhood in Hama city and al-Treimseh town in Mhardeh area in the countryside of the province.

SANA reporter quoted a source in the province as saying that each explosive device weighed 50 kg.

Weapons Warehouse Seized, A Number of Terrorists Killed, Their Vehicles Destroyed in Lattakia

The authorities in Lattakia seized a weapons warehouse at Antakya Street in Lattakia city and arrested a number of terrorists.

A source in the province told SANA reporter that the seized weapons included machineguns, sniper rifles, ammunition, explosive devices, white arms and satellite communication devices.

In a qualitative operation, the Armed Forces eliminated a number of terrorists, wounded others and destroyed their vehicles which they used to carry out their attacks and seized their weapons in Kensaba area in Lattakia countryside.

A source in the province told SANA reporter that the weapons which were seized during the operation included machineguns, RPG launchers and a variety of munitions.

The source added that the Armed Forces continued pursuing terrorists in the woods surrounding Kensaba area to clear the area and restore security.

Cabinet Discusses Proposals to Get Out of Current Crisis

Nov 06, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Wael al-Halqi , on Tuesday reviewed current situation in the country and the political movement in some countries in the region which coincided with escalating violence and terrorist crimes against citizens and the public and private facilities in several cities and areas in Syria.

Premier al-Halqi hailed the sacrifices of the Armed Forces and the law-enforcement forces to defend Syria’s sovereignty against terrorism backed by Arab, regional and foreign countries.

He stressed the need for consolidating the collaboration of citizens, the civil community and the popular and vocational organizations with the Syrian army to eliminate terrorism and foil the conspiracy against Syria.

Al-Halqi asked God to have mercy on the military and civilian martyrs of Syria who were killed in the terrorist bombings and acts, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

The cabinet reviewed the current circumstances and proposals to get out of the crisis, stressing the need for enhancing national dialogue among all parties and the national opposition forces.

The cabinet asked Minister of State for National Reconciliation Affairs to communicate with these powers to crystallize joint national visions that contribute to holding a national dialogue conference, ending violence and achieving national reconciliation.

The cabinet discussed means of protecting vital facilities and the economic and industrial areas, calling upon Defense, Local Administration and Interior Ministries to follow up on procedures to enhance protection mechanisms.

The cabinet called upon the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform to take all necessary measures to provide farmers with their needs of agricultural production requirements for the coming winter season.

Minister of State for National Reconciliation Affairs breifed the cabinet on the Ministry’s efforts and popular meetings which aim at achieving national reconciliation.

The cabinet listened to a review presented by Governor of the Central Bank of Syria on the banking situation in the country as the governor stressed that the situation is reassuring and the Bank has good reserves of foreign currency to provide the country’s needs of imports.

The cabinet approved a draft law on regulating the work of medical and health facilities in the country.

Prime Minister Forms Higher Committee for Workers Housing

Premier al-Halqi issued a decision on forming a higher committee for workers housing, tasked with studying suggestions for launching housing projects for state workers and distributing them.

The committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister for Services Affairs, the Minister of Local Administration Omar Ghalawanji, will study the possibility of starting housing projects based on actual need for low-price houses and on the size of the workforce in each area, in addition to managing the distribution of houses.

Russia Condemns Terrorist Bombings in Syria.. Churkin: Suggestion to Hold Meeting of Work Group on Syria Still on the Table

Nov 06, 2012

MOSCOW, (SANA) – Russia on Tuesday condemned the terrorist bombings in Syria which hit a neighborhood in Damascus and another one in Hama on Monday.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich, expressed Russia’s high concerns over the rising terrorist activities in Syria, stressing his country’s firm condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

He added that Russia expects others to decisively condemn this global evil.

Lukashevich said that double-standards in classifying terrorists into good and bad ones are just attempts to justify these barbarous acts which cannot be interpreted as directed against military targets.

He added that the growing terrorism threat in Syria became a serious challenge not for the Syrians only, calling upon the international players, especially the participants in the international work group on Syria, to shoulder their responsibilities in terms of the content of Geneva statement which stipulates for working to halt violence in Syria with the aim of reaching a solution by the Syrians themselves through dialogue and negotiations.

On Monday, terrorists exploded an explosive device planted under a car in Mezzah Jabal 86 area in Damascus, killing 11 citizens and injuring many others, including women and children.

In Hama province, a suicide terrorist blew up his booby-trapped car near the Rural Development Center in al-Ziyara area in al-Ghab in the countryside of the province which resulted in the killing and injury of many people and caused material damage at the site of the blast.

Churkin: Russia’s Suggestion to Hold Meeting of Work Group on Syria Still on the Table

Russia’s Permanent Representative at the UN Security Council Vitaly Churkin said that Russia’s suggestion to hold a meeting of the work group in Syria in New York is still on the table.

In a statement following a closed session of the Security Council on Tuesday, Churkin said that he reminded others that the suggestion to hold a meeting in New York for the work group on Syria to assess how much of the Geneva declaration signed in June 30th has been implanted or not implemented.

He wondered if the something productive can be done to change the negative course of developments in Syria, noting that during the session which aw the participation of UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffery Feltman, Russia affirmed its support for the mission of UN Envoy to Syria.

Churkin said that the Russian delegation called on the Security Council to influence all sides in Syria in the spirit of the Geneva declaration in order to hold dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition.

Earlier, Russia suggested holding a meeting of the work group on Syria on the level of representatives at the UN in the same framework of the Geneva meeting held in June, but this initiative was opposed by western countries in the Security Council.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister: Moscow Continues talks with Ankara on the Syrian Plane cargo

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin announced that Moscow continues discussions with Ankara to restore the cargo of the Syrian plane which was forced to land in Ankara Airport by the Turkish authorities who examined it and confiscated the cargo on October 10th.  Rogozin comments came in a statement to journalists quoted by Russia Today site.

Lahoud: What is Taking Place in Syria Is A Desperate Attempt to Fragment the Country

Nov 06, 2012

BEIRUT, (SANA) – Former Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said what is taking place in Syria is a desperate attempt to fragment this strong state whose people and army are united around their leadership to face the proxy war waged by the Arabs and Turks.

In a statement issued by his press office, Lahoud pointed out to the international community’s keenness on stability in Lebanon, adding that the international community has overlooked the fact that the best way to ward off sedition and achieve stability in Lebanon is to stop the global war against Syria.

He said that it is time for the international community and some Lebanese officials to realize that the destiny of Syria and Lebanon is one.

Head of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon, Ali Qanso, said that his meeting with Lahoud focused on the latest developments in the region, with the two sides stressing that what Syria faces is a destructive war against the Syrian state and society with the aim of undermining its resistance role.

The two sides expressed optimism that the Syrian leadership, army and the majority of the Syrian people will foil the conspiracy and come out from the crisis.

Al-Hasaka Governor and UNHCR Regional Director inspect situation of the coming families in the city

Nov 06, 2012

Al-Hasaka, (SANA)-United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR) offered 10 tractors and 10 water cisterns for al-Hasaka city in order to provide drinking water to the centers of the families coming from other cities.

Regional Director of UNHCR in the Middle East Yacoub al-Hilo said on Tuesday that the donation comes in the framework of cooperation between the international organization and the Syrian government to meet demands of the coming families and ease their suffering as they left their homes at their cities and regions.

For his part, al-Hasaka governor Khudr al-Hussein affirmed that the governorate put all available capabilities to ensure the basic needs of the coming families including schools, public departments as well as providing the food baskets to all the needed.

 

Later, the Governor and Mr. al-Hilo visited the temporary residence of the coming people at al-Baath Vanguards Camp to inspect their situation and the services offered to them.

Meanwhile, Director of al-Hasaka Education Department Mohammad al-Hussein said that until today the Ministry of Education donated 23000 school bags and the needed stationary materials to the students, offered by the Syrian Arab red crescent.

Lavrov: The Opposition’s Current Approach Means It Works on Bloodbath in Syria to Continue

Nov 06, 2012

AMMAN, (SANA)- Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, on Tuesday stressed the necessity to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria through dialogue among all the parties away from any external interference.

In a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart, Nasser Judeh, held in the Jordanian capital, Amman, Lavrov asserted that the declaration of the action work on Syria approved in Geneva is the main reference for the political solution in Syria, along with the stress on supporting the mission of the UN envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi.

The Russian Foreign Minister said that the opposition’s continuation of its current approach means that it is working on the bloodbath in Syria to go on, affirming that the armed opposition is carrying out terrorist operations in Syria. “We have information that it [the armed opposition] has received 50 Stinger missiles from foreign parties,” Lavrov added.

He highlighted the fact that Russia is dealing with all the parties in Syria equally.

“Those who call for the Syrian President to step down are not interested in the Syrians’ life, and we don’t support this stance at all,” said Lavrov, reiterating that any change in Syria should stem from the Syrian people themselves without any foreign interference.

Asked a question on the possibility of Russia changing its stance towards the situation in Syria, Lavrov said “We don’t want to change our stance…we are convinced that the opposition can’t do anything now…we are working to persuade the government and the opposition to work according to the Geneva document to halt the fighting and violence and start dialogue immediately.”

He stressed the need that all parties who were at the Geneva meeting and wield influence on the two sides in the crisis in Syria to work to bring them to the dialogue table, “but unfortunately most of those who participated in the meeting have not worked so far to push the opposition towards dialogue.”

On the issue of Russia’s continued supply of weapons to Syria, Lavrov stressed that this issue is being carried out legally in the framework of previously signed contracts that have nothing to do with what is happening in Syria as the weapons are only meant to support the Syrian air defense.

For his part, the Jordanian Foreign Minister Judeh said Jordan agrees with Russia on the necessity to bring the violence in Syria to a halt and relieve the Syrian people of what they have been going through, highlighting the need to continue consultation with Russia to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

Iranian Supreme Leader’s Advisor: The West Is Supporting Takfiri Terrorists in Syria

Nov 06, 2012

TEHRAN , (SANA) – Advisor to the Iranian Revolution’s Supreme Leader for International Affairs, Yahya Rahim Safavi, said that the USA and the Western countries now seek to consolidate division in the Islamic world through supporting takfiri terrorists in the region, particularly in Syria.

Rahim Safavi condemned in a statement the crimes perpetrated by the armed terrorist groups in Syria, pointing out to the huge sums sent by the USA, Israel and some regional countries to these groups for killing innocent people in Syria.

Larijani: Achieving Stability and Security in Syria Will Be in the Interest of All Countries in the Region

Speaker of the Iranian Shura Council Ali Larijani stressed that achieving peace, stability and security in Syria would be in the interest of all countries in the region.

Meeting Syria’s Ambassador to Iran, Hamed Hassan, on the occasion of ending his mission, Larijani underlined the need for providing the appropriate conditions so that the Syrian people and officials will be able to solve internal issues without the intervention of foreign powers.

He stressed the Council’s support for boosting the Syrian-Iranian relations in all fields.

Larijani hailed the diplomatic efforts exerted by Ambassador Hassan which helped open new prospects for developing bilateral relations.

In turn, Ambassador Hassan stressed that some international and regional sides seek to create chaos and destabilize security in Syria. He lauded Iran’s support to the Syrian people over the past few years.

Lecture on Situation of Antiquities and Museums under Current Circumstances in Syria

Nov 06, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Director General of Antiquities and Museums, Mamoun Abdul-Kareem reviewed the situation of antiquities and museums in Syria under the current circumstances.

Lecturing at Abu Rommaneh Cultural Center, he said that Aleppo National Museum was exposed to material damage due to the terrorist bombings which hit Saadallah al-Jaberi Square as well as the National Museum of Deir Ezzor.

Abdul-Kareem said that some museums were exposed to looting acts, particularly Hama and Afamia museum where golden statue from the Aramaic period and a marble stone have been stolen.

He added that the director of Maaret al-Nu’man Museum affirmed that the archeological pieces in the Museum are intact, indicating that 17 archeological pieces were stolen from Jaabar Castle in addition to stealing some pieces from Dora Aurbos Museum but they are not original.

Abdul-Kareem stressed that additional measures have been taken to enhance the security of the archeological pieces of museums throughout the Syrian provinces, adding that some precious pieces were transferred to safe places.

He indicated that the attacks of the terrorist groups caused limited material damage to al-Madiq castle, Krac des Chevaliers Castle, the entrance of Aleppo Caste and Shizer Castle, in addition to burning archeological shops in the old market of Aleppo, not to mention the damage caused to the Great Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo.

He pointed out to the official and popular efforts exerted to protect archeological sites in all Syrian provinces.

The Director General Abdul-Kareem said that the authorities confiscated many archeological pieces that were intended to be smuggled in Tartous, Hama, Homs and Deir Ezzor, in addition to seizing 18 mosaic paintings on the Syrian-Lebanese borders.

He called upon the Syrian people to work together and cooperate with authorities in preserving Syria’s history and ruins since they represent the identity and memory of the Syrian population over the decades.

By Imtiaz Muqbil

7 November 2012

On June 4, 2009, the same year he won the Nobel Peace Prize, President Barack Obama stood behind a podium at Cairo’s Al Azhar University, one of Islam’s most eminent centres of learning, and delivered his famous speech to the Islamic world. His objective was reset the United States’ relations with Islam and make “a new beginning”. He covered all the usual ground – violence, Iran, Arab-Israeli relations and Palestine. Much has changed since that famous speech. But one thing has not changed: Palestine remains under Israeli occupation, and the following Obama pledge remains unfulfilled:

“Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel’s right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine’s. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop. Israel must also live up to its obligations to ensure that Palestinians can live, and work, and develop their society. And just as it devastates Palestinian families, the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza does not serve Israel’s security; neither does the continuing lack of opportunity in the West Bank. Progress in the daily lives of the Palestinian people must be part of a road to peace, and Israel must take concrete steps to enable such progress.”

On Nov 6, just as the American people went to the polls, the following headline appeared in CNN: Israel plans new homes in East Jerusalem, West Bank. It was not the first such headline. Israel has been building settlements incessantly since the famous Cairo speech. Obama has been unable to do anything about it.

He now has four years to fix that, and the political freedom to act on the basis of principles, not politics. The positives are enormous and the negatives are potentially catastrophic. Time is not on his side. If Asia is rising today, the Islamic world will rise tomorrow, especially as most of the Asian countries are either majority Muslim or with significant minorities. Right at the heart of U.S.-Islamic relations is the Israeli-Palestinian issue, which can be solved if the President re-elect gets his priorities right, separates symptom from cause, abandons double-standards and puts Islamic and Jewish concerns on par.

Let’s be perfectly clear. The Islamic world will not give up, nor can it lose. In fact, the United States, already in a state of decline, has the most to lose. The Islamic world’s geographic and strategic importance is unshakeable and will gain ground in a globalised world. Readers can access the full list of Organisation of Islamic Co-operation countries here, weigh the following 11 points and make up your own minds.

1.   Population: A total of 1.46 billion people scattered as majorities and/or minorities right across the geographical centre of the planet from Morocco to Mindanao. Their natural resources and populations are a global source of minerals and medicines. Their own populations also generate both money and markets. They are all proud of their history and heritage.

 

2.   Oil, gas and energy: The energy and mineral reserves of the Islamic world are well known. All the way from the Gulf to the Central Asian Republics through to Indonesia and Brunei. Cheap access to these reserves contributed to the past economic development of the industrialised countries. Great power rivalries and geopolitical battles have been waged over decades for control of these riches, and will continue to do so in future.

3.   Money: The financial resources of the oil-rich and underpopulated Islamic countries are enormous. Billions of dollars are being poured into huge development and construction projects, as well as on weapons, stocks, bonds, treasury bills and real estate in the West. If Islamic oil and gas are important to the survival of Western economies, the recycling of Islamic mega-millions is equally important.

4.   Crossroads of the World: Islamic countries straddle all the most critical crossroads of trading and transport routes. Vital shipping lanes include the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia), the Straits of Gibraltar (Morocco), the Suez Canal (Egypt), the Straits of Hormuz (Iran/UAE) and the Straits of Bosporus (Turkey). The Trans-Asian Highway and Trans-Asian Railway that will eventually link Asia to Europe runs through Central Asia. All flights between Australasia and Europe have to overfly Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia.

5.   Rainforests: Most of the world’s remaining rainforests are in Indonesia, Malaysia and the many Islamic countries of equatorial Africa. These rainforests contain the secrets of science, health and medical breakthroughs. They are also the lungs and carbon sinks of the world. Both health and climate change are primary challenges of this era, and potential solutions lie in Islamic lands.

6.   Diplomacy and International Relations: Geopolitically, the Islamic countries are a significant voting bloc. Without the support of this 57-member grouping, it is virtually impossible to pass any mandate or resolution in international forums.

7.   Migrant labour: Millions of expatriates working in the Gulf countries remit billions of dollars to their home countries, a major source of poverty alleviation and economic progress.

8.   The Youth Bulge: The young people who comprise the majority of the Islamic world’s population are major markets of the future. As they are also tomorrow’s world leaders, influencing their mindset today is vital. Joblessness and despair amongst this group can be a major source of destabilisation and unrest, forcing migration to the rich countries and feeding frustration and violence.

9.  The Arts: The art, culture, music, dance, cuisine and literature created and/or authored by Muslims is spectacular – from the poetry of Rumi to the architecture of the Alhambra and the artistry of the Taj Mahal to the magnificent monuments of Iran and Uzbekistan, a supremely creative, inspiring and motivating force.

10. Mind-power: No peoples who can come up with the inventions and discoveries shown on the website http://www.1001inventions.com can remain intellectually stagnant forever. Given academic freedom and license, Islamic universities can easily regain the glory of the erstwhile centres of learning of Baghdad, Damascus, Samarkand and Cairo.

11.  Religious Power: Like all great religions, Islam has great spiritual and philosophical relevance, scientific depth and the ability to uplift societies. How the world’s only religion to be born in the desert spread across such a large swathe of territory is a story in itself. As the last of the world’s great religions, it offers practical solutions to many of the world’s social, economic, environmental, financial problems. At its core lies an uncompromising sense of justice.

All of the above is known to top decision-makers in United States and other Western countries. They know that a united Islam can be powerful and positive source of energy and transformation. Hence, to keep it divided and destabilised is a geopolitical imperative.

Doing so has proven easy – so far. The Islamic world has large rich-poor income gaps, internecine ethnic and religious rivalries, poor quality leaders and corrupt dictators. Leading such people astray with a combination of alcohol, illicit sex, bribery and blackmail requires no great effort. Colonial powers have a proven history of expertise in dividing countries, communities and religious groups. Portraying the Islamic world as being full of liars, illiterates, fundamentalists, etc. is part of this game-plan. Keeping it that way is the future challenge.

In the 1970s, three game-changing events rocked the United States and its concept of post-World War II security, underscoring the power of a united Islam and exposing the fragility of U.S.-Islamic relations:

1. Arab-Israeli war, October 1973: The year 2013 will mark 40 years since this conflict in which Arab armies, led by Egypt, came dangerously close to defeating the Israelis and freeing occupied Palestine. It was only a massive, last minute military airlift by the U.S. and its allies that changed the game. But it gave the Arabs a fleeting sense of confidence in what unity could achieve.

2. Arab oil embargo: This use of the “oil weapon” was part of the October 1973 war. It nearly crippled the economies of the West and exposed the threat of dependence on Middle Eastern oil.

3. Iran 1979: The Shah of Iran, one of the US government’s puppets in the Gulf, was overthrown by a revolution led by the Ayatollah Khomeini, a religious leader exiled by the Shah. In what was the world’s first “electronic revolution,” cassette tapes smuggled in were played across mosques in Iran, leading to massive demonstrations which forced out the Shah and led to the return of Khomeini in February 1979.

Since these events, as well as the U.S. defeat in Vietnam in 1975, U.S. security doctrines have been revamped. All economic, defence and foreign policy mechanisms were geared towards ensuring that it never happens again. True, some efforts were made to forge an Arab-Israeli peace, such as under the Carter and Clinton administrations. Then came the 4 November 1995 Jewish terrorist assassination of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. It’s been downhill ever since.

Since that black day, U.S. government policy and its formidable Jewish lobby has focussed intently on subjugating and dividing the Arab/Islamic world by backing corrupt dictators, entertaining their royal families, penetrating their businesses, militaries, education systems, media and the political establishment. Today, the U.S. has military bases right across the Gulf. Its companies win huge business and construction contracts. Its brand-name products sell well across the malls and shopping complexes.

But the recent Arab spring revolutions have proved that all the people cannot be fooled all the time, that the best-laid plans can go awry, that underlying problems have not gone away, and the desire for Palestinian freedom still burns bright across the entire region.

The U.S. government is deeply involved in the quagmire and can only cope with the situation by fire-fighting and managing the symptoms rather than treating the cause. It cannot admit mistakes and backtrack without losing face, trust and respect.

The next big test will come when the Palestinians seek elevated statehood status in the UN, possibly within the next few weeks. That will set the stage for a confrontation between the U.S. establishment and Israel and its Zionist backers. If the U.S. blocks that effort, it is only a matter of time before Egypt, now a full-fledged democracy similar to Israel, begins to push for a renegotiation of its peace treaty with Israel. Subsequent events could become even more unpredictable and unmanageable.

If Mr. Obama can honour his still unfulfilled pledge of June 4, 2009 to the Islamic world and give birth to a Palestinian state, he will earn his 2009 Nobel Peace prize and change the rest of the 21st century for the better. The Arab world will boom, trillions of dollars worth of swords could be converted into plowshares and millions of man-hours worth of productivity, time and resources will be freed up to realise the UN Millennium Development Goals by the target date of 2015.

The most dangerous men on the planet now are not Islamic terrorists but those who tried desperately to unseat Obama and make Iran the next victim of their War on Islam. These people are of the same stock as those who created and bred the Rabin assassin. Over the next four years, they will do everything in their power to get him to attack Iran and stop him from creating a Palestinian state. Their goal is to fuel more instability and conflict with the Islamic world.

The world cannot afford another four such years. Now that the American people have given Barack Hussein Obama a renewed mandate, it is time for him to honour their trust, fulfill his pledge to the Islamic world and create a truly global peace.

His date with destiny awaits.

By Countercurrents.org

06 November, 2012

Countercurrents.org

Police in Istanbul have used tear gas and water cannon on protestors supporting a hunger strike by Kurdish political prisoners. The Turkish PM branded the strikers actions a “complete show”, but doctors warn they will start to die in the next 10 days*.

About 400 protestors were gathered outside the headquarters of the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) when police fired water cannon and tear gas without warning, according to an AP photographer who was at the scene.

The protestors were chanting “evacuate prisons” and “freedom to inmates” as well as slogans supporting Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The PKK is a militant group, which has been fighting a guerilla war against the Turkish state for the last 28 years to try and create a Kurdish homeland in Turkey’s south east. They are designated a terrorist group by the Turkish government, the US and the EU. The BDP, however, refuses to call the PKK a terrorist organization.

The hunger strikers are calling for improved jail conditions for Abdullah Ocalan, who is prison on an island off Istanbul and for restrictions to be lifted on the use of the Kurdish language.

The hunger strike is comprised of a number of senior Kurdish figures including jailed politicians, mayors and parliamentarians, some of them in the BDP, which holds 29 of the 550 seats in the Turkish parliament.

Some of the 700 strikers are also accused of having links with the PKK.

Many of the strikers are allegedly consuming sugar, water and vitamins to drag out their lives and the protest by weeks.

The Turkish medical Organization (TTB) warned that many of those fasting will have already incurred lasting damage and will start to die in a matter of days.

But the strike has incurred little sympathy from prime minister Tayyip Erdogan. He told reporters in Berlin that the hunger strike was a“complete show” and that only one of the prisoners was on a “death fast”.

He then went on to accuse Kurdish politicians of stuffing themselves with kebabs while ordering militants to starve. Dr. Aytug Atici, an opposition lawmaker and a medical doctor, who toured the prisons earlier this week, said the prime minister’s comments only appeared to have stiffened the striker’s resolve.

Yasar Kemal, one of Turkey’s best known novelists, has joined the chorus of support for the fasters and has urged the government to stop the protestors dying, reminding them of the outcome of previous hunger strikes. Between 2000 and 2007, 122 prisoners died from hunger strikes against isolation cells.

Since the PKK took up arms in 1984, more than 40,000 people have died as a result of the conflict. There are about 15 million Kurds in Turkey, about one fifth of the population. In total there are 30 million Kurds living in Turkey, Iran, northern Syria and northern Iraq in a region known as Kurdistan, but they do not have an autonomous state to call their own.

* RT, “Turkish police fire tear gas at hunger strike supporters”, Nov. 4, 2012, http://rt.com/news/turkey-kurds-hunger-strike-975/

Eleven Citizens Martyred, Tens Injured in Terrorist Bombing in Mazzeh Eighty-Six Area in Damascus

Nov 05, 2012

PROVINCES, (SANA) _ Terrorist on Monday detonated an explosive device planted under a car in Mazzeh Jabal 86 area in Damascus, killing 11 citizens and injuring tens, including women and children.

A source at al-Muwasat Hospital told SANA that the body received the bodies of 8 martyrs killed in the bombing and 31 injured people who are currently receiving treatment.

A source in Yousef al-Azmeh Hospital said that the hospital received the bodies of 3 martyrs and 24 injured people, most of them critically injured.

SANA’s correspondent who visited the bombing site said the explosion caused significant damage to the area which is heavily populated, and that a large number of cars and shops were destroyed and infrastructure and utilities were also damaged.

Five Martyred, Others Injured in Terrorists’ Mortar Shell Attack Targeting Mini-Bus in al-Yarmouk Camp

Five people were martyred including three children and a woman on Monday when terrorists targeted a mini-bus of public transportation with a mortar shell in Thalathen street (thirty street) in al-Yarmouk Camp, Damascus.

An official source in Damascus Hospital said that bodies of a women and three children were transferred to the hospital in addition to five injured, one of them is in a critical condition, adding that the injured are getting the suitable care.

On the other hand, Palestine Hospital received a martyrs’ body, in addition to five injured people due to the terrorist act.

Two Citizens Martyred, 10 Others Injured in Car Bomb Explosion in al-Ghab Area in Hama

A suicide bomber on Monday detonated a car bomb near the Rural Development Center in al-Ziyara area in al-Ghab, resulting in a number of deaths and injuries and material damages.

An official source said that preliminary information show that two citizens were martyred while 10 others were injured in the terrorist blast.

The source added that the weight of the explosives used in the blast was estimated at around one ton of highly-explosive materials.

Photos of Terrorist Bombing in Mazzeh Jabal 86 in Damascus

 

 

Armed Forces Continue Confronting Terrorists in Several Areas

Nov 05, 2012

PROVINCES, (SANA) – Units of the Armed Forces on Monday continued cleaning Deir Ezzor from the armed terrorist groups.

An official source in the province told SANA reporter that a unit of the armed forces clashed with two armed terrorist groups in al-Jibaileh and al-Muwazafin neighborhoods in the city killing and injuring a number of terrorists.

Terrorists Abdul-Karim Mohammad Yassin and Rakan al-Zaghir were identified among the dead in the two neighborhoods, the source added.

In al-Mayadin, a unit of the armed forces carried out a qualitative operation. The operation resulted in inflecting heavy losses upon terrorists.

6 citizens from one family martyred by mortars of terrorists in Aleppo

6 citizens from Quraish family, among them a girl, were martyred today after terrorists launched 11 mortars on marches in Bustan al-Qasr in Aleppo demanding the terrorist groups to leave the neighborhood.

The Army carries out qualitative operations to clear Aleppo and its  countryside from the terrorists

Units of the armed forces today carried out qualitative operations to clear Aleppo countryside from the terrorists, targeting their gatherings in a number of areas.

A source in the province told SANA reporter that a unit from the army targeted terrorists near the Thermal Station, destroying two cars that transported weapons and munitions.

The source added that another army unit hit gatherings of terrorists near Ekarda, Urom al-Kubra, Kfar Naha, Kfar Hamra, Hrietan, inflicting heavy losses among the terrorists.

In the city of Aleppo, the army operations inflicted heavy losses among the terrorists at al-Lermon circle and near Zaki al-Arsouzi school.

Authorities Seize Field Hospital in Lattakia

The competent authorities today seized a field hospital in one of the terrorists’ dens at al-Kalaa neighborhood in Lattakia.

A source in the province told SANA reporter that the hospital included a big quantity of medical equipment and all kinds of medicine.

Authorities Confiscate weapons from A den of terrorists in Hama

The authorities in Hama confiscated weapons and munitions while storming one of the terrorists’ dens at 8 March Souk in Hama.

SANA reporter quoted a source as saying that during the operations, the authorities killed two terrorists, one of them was a woman who tried to escape after throwing two bombs on the members of the authorities.

Armed Forces Inflict Heavy Losses upon Terrorists in Idleb

A unit of our armed forces on Sunday evening clashed with terrorists were perpetrating looting and sabotaging acts in Maaret al-Nu’man, in Idleb and seized a quantity of weapons were in their possession.

An official source in the province told SANA reporter that a unit of the armed forces clashed with two armed terrorist groups in al-Jibaileh and al-Muwazafin neighborhoods in the city killing and injuring a number of terrorists.

Terrorists Abdul-Karim Mohammad Yassin and Rakan al-Zaghir were identified among the dead in the two neighborhoods, the source added.

In al-Mayadin, a unit of the armed forces carried out a qualitative operation. The operation resulted in inflecting heavy losses upon terrorists.

Armed Forces Inflict Heavy Losses upon Terrorists in Idleb

A unit of our armed forces on Sunday evening clashed with terrorists were perpetrating looting and sabotaging acts in Maaret al-Nu’man, in Idleb and seized a quantity of weapons were in their possession.

An official source in the province told SANA reporter that a unit of the armed forces clashed with two armed terrorist groups in al-Jibaileh and al-Muwazafin neighborhoods in the city killing and injuring a number of terrorists.

Terrorists Abdul-Karim Mohammad Yassin and Rakan al-Zaghir were identified among the dead in the two neighborhoods, the source added.

In al-Mayadin, a unit of the armed forces carried out a qualitative operation. The operation resulted in inflecting heavy losses upon terrorists.

Armed Forces Inflict Heavy Losses upon Terrorists in Idleb

A unit of our armed forces on Sunday evening clashed with terrorists were perpetrating looting and sabotaging acts in Maaret al-Nu’man, in Idleb and seized a quantity of weapons were in their possession.

SANA reporter quoted a source at the province as saying that the clash resulted in wounding and killing a number of terrorists including a leader of one of the terrorist groups nicknamed Sheikh Ahmed.

Terrorists Killed in Daraa

Units of the Armed Forces clashed with terrorists in al-Mokhayam neighborhood ad al-Sad road in Daraa, killing and injuring many of them.

An official source told SANA reporter that terrorist Mamdouh al-Shalamouni, leader of the so-called “al-Tawheed brigade” in Daraa was identified among the dead.

Armed Forces Thwart Terrorists’ Attempts to Enter Aleppo

In Aleppo, units of our armed forces thwarted attempts of terrorist groups to enter Aleppo from Kafar Hamra and Al Lirmon. Members of the groups were killed and wounded.

Two military engineering members martyred while dismantling Explosive device planted by terrorists on al-Zahira Highway

Two members from the military engineering units were martyred and one was wounded as they were dismantling an explosive device planted by terrorists on al-Zahira Highway in Damascus.

A source at the Police Command in Damascus told SANA that the explosive device was planted by terrorists near one of the public parks.

Armed Forces Eliminate Terrorists and Destroy a Number of Vehicles in Harasta

A unit of the Armed Forces clashed with an armed terrorist group in Harasta city in Damascus countryside and destroyed a vehicle equipped with an anti-aircraft machinegun.

A source in the province told SANA reporter that clashes resulted in eliminating a number of terrorists and destroyed three cars used to transfer weapons and munitions.

The source added that another unit pursued an armed terrorist group in al-Sail neighborhood in Harasta and eliminated a number of its members.

Armed Forces Eliminate Armed Terrorist Groups’ Leaders, Destroy Machinegun-equipped Vehicles in Idleb Countryside

A unit of the Armed Forces foiled an infiltration attempt by an armed terrorist group to Harem Castle and implemented a qualitative operation and killed a number of terrorists.

A source in the province said that armed terrorist groups’ leaders were killed during the operation.

The source added that a unit of the Armed Forces confronted an armed terrorist group in Taftanaz and destroyed three machinegun-equipped vehicles.

In the city I Saraqeb, the Armed Forces eliminated an armed terrorist group leader and all members of his group and destroyed terrorist sites and a weapons cache.

Mikdad: Those who Besiege Syria Cannot Claim to be Humanitarians… Countries who Cry over Syrian People are Symbols of Hypocrisy

Nov 05, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Upon the invitation of the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry, a meeting for the humanitarian team, which represents UN organizations and government bodies that are part of the response plan regulating UN-Syrian cooperation, was held on Monday at Sheraton Hotel in Damascus.

During the meeting, Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Dr. Fayssal Mikdad affirmed that the meetings of countries who cry over the humanitarian issues in Syria and hold special Security Council sessions, including the latest one attended by the biggest hypocrite the French Foreign Minister, are mere misdirection and blatant international hypocrisy, saying that those who impose sanctions with one hand and claim to provide humanitarian aid with the other is a symbol of hypocrisy, lies and misdirection.

Mikdad said that these countries aren’t content with shedding Syrian blood and arming and funding terrorists; they also directly and intentional avoid helping UN organizations financially, hindering them from carrying out their duties which these countries claim to be keen on implementing.

He pointed out that Arab countries didn’t provide a single dollar to the Syrian people despite all their claims for caring for them, particularly the Arab Gulf countries that contribute directly to the slaughter and murder of Syrians, affirming the need to expose these countries which commit massacres directly or through Al Qaeda which they fund and assist, in addition to their support of the Turkish government which facilitates terrorists’ entry into Syria with direct funding from the Arab Gulf.

Mikdad called upon all those who want to end bloodshed in Syria to address the primary issue which is these countries whose hands are stained with Syrian blood, affirming that those who besiege Syria cannot claim to be humanitarians or even capable of doing humanitarian work, pointing out to the politicization of the process of providing international aid by the countries that claim to care about the Syrian people.

He lauded the efforts of humanitarian organizations which work for pure humanitarian goals and have no personal agendas, affirming the Syrian government’s readiness to cooperate with these organization without restriction to help Syrians affected by terrorism as long as humanitarian aid is provided according to UN principles, particularly those that guarantee the country’s sovereignty and regional integrity and unity.

Mikdad affirmed that the Syrian government provided all possible and necessary facilitations to international efforts to provide humanitarian aid to affected citizens, starting by evaluation them devising a response plan, with the facilitations provided to UN humanitarian organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) being examples of this cooperation.

He pointed out that so far, the Syrian government has played the major role in providing the needs of its citizens, because many pledges of donors in the media and international forums haven’t been fulfilled as shown by the reports of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Midkad stressed that stopping the funding provided by some countries in the region to armed terrorist groups should remove the primary causes of Syrians’ humanitarian suffering, which would save Syria and the internaitonal community the need for humanitarian aid, noting that the terrorist groups are sabotaging Syrian infrastructure, thus depriving millions of Syrians from services such as electricity, water and fuel.

He went on to explain that the unjust unilateral sanctions imposed by the US, the EU and other countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Syria impede development and providing services to citizens, and that they exacerbate the humanitarian conditions and hinder the importation of medical supplies and equipment, which causes suffering for Syrians.

Mikdad said that the government formed a ministerial committee to follow up on humanitarian needs of affected citizens, with SYP 500,000 allocated to it from the general state budget and another 500,000 from the independent budget for aid, adding that a higher relief committee was also formed to follow up on affected families and providing aid to them, with subcommittees being formed in each province to supervise the provision of aid.

He noted that over 547 temporary housing centers have been opened for affected families, all of them provided with all necessary services, pointing out to the support provided by the Social Affairs and Labor Ministry to civil societies that help afflicted families.

Midkad elaborated that the Social Affairs and Labor Ministry provided SYP 10 million to one initiative to help affected families in Homs, another 10 million to pay rents of displaced families, another 10 million to societies that provide financial support to families, and 15 million to the bodies that provide services.

He affirmed that state workers’ salaries are still being paid in affected areas despite the fact that work in many state establishments has stopped in certain areas, in addition to paying pensions.

Midkad then moved on to the health sector, detailing the losses it suffered due to terrorists’ attacks, with 50 people working in the medical field being martyred while carrying out their duties and 68 being injured, while 19 health workers are still being held hostage by armed groups who abducted them.

He also underlined the sabotage and vandalism carried out by terrorist against, hospitals, health centers and ambulance, noting that these terrorist acts are accompanied by media misdirection about health services by foreign media that use the health sector to misguide public opinion and rile citizens against the government.

Mikdad affirmed that the Health Ministry is continuing to work to rehabilitate health establishments and ambulances damaged by terrorism, and so far emergency rooms and departments in 25 out of 44 affected hospitals have been rehabilitated, noting that 19 hospitals have been put out of services due to terrorism.

He added that maternity wards in 35 out of 199 affected health centers have been rehabilitated, with 117 being out of services, and that health services have been expanded via 26 mobile clinics, in addition to repairing 60 ambulances out of 303 ones damaged by terrorism, 149 of which completely out of commission.

Mikdad also said that medical supplies for patients of terminal diseases including cancer are being provided from friendly countries along with 50 ambulances, after importation of medicine and medical supplies from Europe stopped due to sanctions.

He concluded by voicing thanks and appreciation for anyone who provides honest efforts to reduce the suffering of the Syrian people.

For his part, Director of International Organizations Department at the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry Hussam-Eddin Ala, said the meeting aims at discussing what has been implemented in terms of the response plan.

He stressed the Syrian government’s commitment to cooperate and provide all facilitations to the UN organizations, hailing the efforts of the SARC and its pioneering role in coordination  with the ICRC despite the attacks of the armed terrorist groups.

In turn, the response plan national coordinator Refaat Hijazi presented a review of the Syrian government’s continuous efforts to help the affected people, adding that any international effort is complementary  to the efforts exerted by the Syrian government.

The Regional Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid Affairs, Radwan Nweiser, stressed that the Syrian government has done its best to provide aid to the affected people and informed the UN employees about its approval on their visits to all Syrian areas without any restraints or conditions.

He appreciated the important role of the SARC and its  sacrifices to continue providing its services, the last of which was the martyrdom of volunteer Fouad Bobes who was targeted in Douma city in Damascus Countryside while carrying out his humanitarian duty.

He added that the capabilities available and the allocated resources  for response processes are much less than what is needed, adding  that the international community gives more attention to the  political and military sides in comparison to what it gives to fund aid operations.

Nweiser said that the international community presented only 45% of the total amount needed, adding that the big challenge for now is to protect the affected families and provide them with their needs before the winter.

In turn, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Syria, Adam Abdul-Mawla, said that the UN which worked in Syria for decades will not abandon the country in its ordeal, reiterating the UN commitment to provide all possible help to the Syrian people.

 

Abdul-Mawla pointed out that a joint meeting will be held on Wednesday between the UN regional offices and the UN team in Syria with the aim of discussing the measures needed to enhance the role of the UN in confronting the repercussions of the crisis in Syria.

He called upon all sides to respect the role of the UN and realize that it works independently and neutrally and it provides aid without religious or political considerations.

Director of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, Marwan Abdullah, said that the organization has spared no effort in providing services to all affected people since the beginning of the crisis with 10,000 volunteers working across the country.

He pointed out to the attacks against the organization’s staff, adding that 8 volunteers were martyred and several ambulances were destroyed.

For his part, Alexandre Equeyi of the ICRC stressed the need to cooperate and coordinate among all sides and organizations with the aim of providing food and rehabilitating centers in provinces.

Equeyi added that the ICRC  is discussing ways to access all areas and is working on helping the people affected by the current events.

People’s Assembly : Crisis Necessitates Adopting Extraordinary Economic and Social Policies to Face Its Impacts

Nov 05, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – The People’s Assembly resumed its session, chaired by Speaker Mohammad Jihad al-Lahham, to discuss the bill of the general state budget for the 2013 fiscal year.

Members of the People’s Assembly called for adopting an extraordinary economic and social policy to cope with what is taking place in the country and setting up development plans to face the impact of the crisis.

They stressed the need for reforming and supporting the public sector and enhancing the national steadfastness, particularly in the comprehensive war which aims at undermining Syria.

They also called for reconsidering the previous governments’ economic policies and deal with their consequences, including laws that harmed national production and security through allowing foreign capitals and privatization.

The members underlined the necessity of taking effective measures to reduce and rationalize expenditure, particularly under current circumstances and the economic pressure and sanctions which caused an imbalance in the revenues.

Other members called for new laws to regulate investment and establish a real and sustainable economic infrastructure.

The members stressed the need for improving the living conditions of law-income citizens amid the price rise of goods and providing the basic needs, in addition to compensate those who were affected under current circumstances.

Some of the People’s Assembly members called for providing job opportunities and reconsidering the age of those included in the Youth Employment program to be 35 years in order to give graduates the opportunity to work.

They hailed the approach and transparency adopting in setting the general budget, adding that the allocation of SYP 512 billion to subsidize oil products and basic materials a positive thing.

In turn, MP Abdul-Wahed Razzouq urged the authorities to eliminate the armed terrorist groups that are attacking Harem area in Idleb and deliver the basic good to the citizens there.

Minister of Finance Dr. Mohammad al-Jleilati, said that the deficit in the budget started in 2003, adding that the issue of deficit can be solved only by increasing the cash supply.

Minister al-Jleilati said that the 2012 budget takes into consideration the social dimension in implementing the financial policy as the citizens’ interests are the main purpose for all the state’s developmental plans.

He called for adopting transparency, reconsidering the society’s moral values and fighting corruption.

Martyr Actor Mohammad Rafe’ Escorted to Final Resting Place

Nov 05, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Martyr Actor Mohammad Rafe’ was escorted From the Military Hospital of Tishreen on Monday with the music of “the Martyr” and “Farewell”.

Actor Rafe has been assassinated by an armed terrorist group which kidnapped him two days earlier in Barzeh neighborhood in Damascus.

Father of the Martyr, Actor Ahmad Rafe’ said in a statement that his son, Mohammad, is the martyr of all and the bridegroom of Syria and the homeland, stressing that his son loved his homeland and his people.

He called on all those who took up weapons to throw them away and come back to the lap of the homeland.

Artists Syndicate Condemns Terrorist Act Against Martyr Mohammad Rafei

The Syrian Artists Syndicate denounced the terrorist act which resulted in the martyrdom of actor Mohammad Rafei.

In a statement released on Monday, the Syndicate said that martyr Rafei had expressed adherence to his homeland, stressing that all patriotic artists are committed to facing the plot targeting the country through supporting the reform program.

An armed terrorist group assassinated the young actor Mohammad Rafei, son of the renowned actor Ahmad Rafei, two days after abducting him in Barzeh area in Damascus.

Rafei is a Syrian-Palestinian, he was born in 1982.

Lavrov: Who Contradicts Geneva Statement Is Shouldered Responsibility  for More Victims in Syria

Nov 05, 2012

CAIRO, (SANA) – Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed the need for adopting the Geneva statement as the basic reference to solve the crisis in Syria, holding anyone who violates what has been agreed on in this statement responsible for any further victims.

In a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Mohammad Kamel Amr, Lavrov said that some of Russia’s partners in the work group on Syria try to evade the agreement and shirk their responsibilities of pressuring the opposition to halt violence and commit to dialogue to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

Lavrov said that Russia carries out its obligations according to the Geneva statement in regard to working with all Syrian sides, and according to this basis Russia works with the government and the opposition.

“For well-know reasons, we are not the ones who have great influence on the opposition and I believe that those who do enjoy such influence should exert more efforts to implement the terms of the Geneva statement,” Lavrov added.

The Russian Foreign Minister added “Instead of that, some participants in the Geneva meeting are now trying to unify the opposition not on the basis of sitting down at the dialogue table, but rather on the basis of continuing fighting and violence.”

Answering a question about secret negotiations between Russia and the U.S. on the Syrian leadership, Lavrov firmly denied holding secret negotiations with anyone about the future of the Syrian leadership.

He added that what really matters is the destiny of the Syrian people and means of ending their suffering, noting that it is impossible to achieve that without halting violence from both sides as agreed upon in Geneva and those who deny that are largely responsible for the lives of civilians.

He stressed the need for finding a just solution to Palestinian issue, adding that none of the events in the region should draw attention away from it.

In turn, Minister Amr said that Egypt and Russia want to reach a political solution to the crisis in Syria, put an end to the bloodshed there and fulfill the Syrian people’s legitimate demands.

Lavrov: Russia Defends the Syrian People’s Self-Determination Right without Foreign Intervention

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, stressed that his country defends the Syrian people’s self-determination right without foreign dictations or intervention.

Lavrov added, in an interview with the Egyptian newspaper of ‘al-Ahram’ published on Monday, “this Russian accountable stance meets others’ understanding in the world, in the region and among the Syrians, as the political powers which had always criticized Russia’s political stances previously begin to understand Russia’s stance regarding the crisis in Syria.”

The Russian Foreign Minister renewed assertion on Geneva Statement, signed on 30th June, which constitutes a balanced basis to the political solution of the crisis in Syria, criticizing all those who seek to topple the regime with all means regardless of the risks of this approach.

He stressed that those who call for this demand do not care about saving the biggest number of souls possible through halting violence and starting a dialogue between the government and the opposition, rather they are more interested in carrying out their geopolitical agendas, trying to pass their dependant visions against Syria and distorting Russia’s stances.

Lavrov pointed out that Russia, on contrast to many international and regional players, continues its contacts with the Syrian government and a wide range of opposition powers, sparing no efforts to reach a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

He criticized Russia’s western partners continuation of supporting the armed opposition groups in Syria, pointing out that the presence of al-Qaeda members in Syria pushes the West to think about the possibilities that the weapons they dispatch to Syria may go to unsafe hands.

The Russian official highlighted that if all those who signed Geneva Statement pressure the opposition groups in Syria and the government as well and force them to halt fighting operations and start a dialogue, the chances of UN Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi’s success in his mission will rise.

Lavrov said that Russia follows in its foreign political approach the international law , and the rejection of the double standard policy regarding the international issues and what is going on in the Middle East.

Lavrov stressed that the Russian-Syrian technical cooperation is directed towards supporting Syria’s defensive efforts in confrontation of a possible foreign danger, which is proven through the Russian military exports of a defensive feature to Syria.

Regarding his estimation of the Iranian stance regarding the crisis in Syria, he pointed out that Iran attaches great importance to the exerted efforts for preventing international intervention in the Syrian domestic affairs.

He referred to the efforts exerted by Non-Aligned Movement held in Tehran last August to serve these goals, as Iran has also joined Geneva Statement and supported, along with Russia, Brahimi’s initiative about cease-fire during Eid al-Adha, which unfortunately did not succeed.

The Russian Foreign Minister continued to say that despite what the region is witnessing, the Palestinian Cause is still the cornerstone for politics in the region, as the turbulent conditions should not be a pretext for halting work, but on the contrary, talks should proceed bringing the possibility of improving the atmosphere in the region.

Lavrov expressed his country’s worry over the continuation of the Israeli settlement in the Palestinian territories, stressing that this issue does not help provide the suitable environment for resuming the negotiation process on the basis of the international legitimacy.

Commercial Bank of Syria: Cash Flow Good, Deposit and Withdrawal Stable

Nov 05, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Chairman of the Commercial Bank of Syria, Ahmad Diab, said that the cash flow in the bank is good and the movement of deposits and withdrawals has been stable for more than two months.

In a statement to SANA on Monay, Diab pointed out that the amount of deposits in the bank is estimated at SYP 310 billion, adding that all the bank’s branches are working in two shifts.

Diab stressed that about half the ATMs in the provinces are working normally, including Aleppo, Idleb and Homs.

He warned the clients of fraud attempts made through attaching wireless readers to the ATM to copy the information from ATM cards.

Abdullahian: The US – Israeli Foreign Intervention and Support to Armed Groups Behind Events in Syria

Nov 05, 2012

TEHRAN, (SANA) – Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs, Hussein Amir Abdullahian said that the current events in Syria can be summed up in foreign intervention, providing support to the armed groups, the US and Israel’s instigation for committing massacres against the Syrian people, and targeting the Syrian government in an attempt to eliminate the resistance.

In a statement on Monday, Abdullahian said that Syria made progress in combating terrorism, preventing foreign intervention and achieving political reforms.

The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister warned of the catastrophic consequences of transferring the crisis in Syria to the neighboring countries on the security of the region.

Abdullahian underlined Iran’s initiatives and the efforts of the UN Envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, adding that Iran has serious intentions to work on launching national dialogue among the representatives of all spectrums of the Syrian people after halting violence completely to help in achieving security and stability in the region.

Borujerdi: Terrorists’ Attack and Crimes Reveal Reality of Armed Syrian Opposition and Its Defenders

Chairman of the Iranian National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Alaa Eddin Borujerdi, said that the terrorist attacks and heinous crimes committed by the armed terrorist groups in Syria revealed the real image of the armed Syrian opposition and their defenders in the region and the world.

In a speech on the occasion of ending the mission of Syria’s Ambassador to Iran, Hamed Hassan, Borujerdi said that the major powers and their allies and the Zionist entity are trying to undermine the resistance of the Syrian people and eliminate the national identity of this independent country.

He stressed that the Syrian people will come out victorious from this difficult test.

Borujerdi said that Syria and Iran have supported the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine against the Israeli aggressions, particularly in July 2006.

He pointed out that the Syrian-Iranian relations have transformed into a key axis for resistance against the Zionist entity and its international defenders and played a strategic role in supporting the rights of the peoples in the region.

Ambassador Hassan said that the Syrian people are facing a campaign launched by the US, France, Britain, the Zionist entity and their allies in the region, including AlQaeda.

He added that this war aims at destroying the determination and the will of the Syrian people to support of the Palestinian people and other peoples in the region against their occupiers, stressing that the steadfastness of the Syrians will foil the conspiracy.

Iranian National Security and Foreign Affairs Committee Calls Upon States to Stop Supporting Armed Terrorist Groups in Syria

The National Security and Foreign Affairs Committee in the Iranian Shura council condemned the brutal crimes perpetrated by the armed terrorist groups against the Syrian people.

The official spokesperson of the Committee, Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said in a statement on Monday that members of the Committee called upon the states interfering in the Syrian domestic affairs to stop supporting the armed terrorist groups and supplying them with weapons.

Naqavi Hosseini added that members of the Committee condemned the war crimes committed by the terrorists in Syria against captives from the Syrian Arab Army, calling upon the international community to prevent the perpetration of such crimes.

He said that the Committee asked the Iranian government and Iranian Foreign Ministry to have a greater role in activating the political solution in Syria.

By Imtiaz Muqbil

6 November 2012

BANGKOK – A former U.S. market trader who spent five years in jail “for telling the truth” has forecast the continuing economic and financial decline of what he called a “brain-dead” United States, a shift towards Asia which will last for about 200 years, a second-term win for President Barack Obama and a “high probability” of an attack on Iran, partly in order to safeguard Israel but partly to “divert attention of the world from the financial crisis.”

Speaking at a November 2-3 conference in Bangkok, Mr. Martin Armstrong, former chairman of Princeton Economics International, said the world was on a “threshold of a new era” and due for a major “directional change” that would be driven by the nomadic shifts of capital movements and a desire to find safe havens. He also forecast global social unrest in 2014 and a war of some kind, but not necessarily a world war, in 2015.

All these forecasts, he said, were part of a normal cyclical shift in global history which, similar to the laws of physics and even the movement of radio waves, has always been marked by the rise and fall of empires and can now be fairly accurately predicted through computer models. He said the primary trigger of this rise and fall, in financial and economic terms, is an unsustainable build-up of sovereign debt and governments’ inability to repay it. Regardless, he said, those who had money always were looking for a place to park it, and Asia would be the place for the foreseeable future, with China becoming the dominant global economic power by 2020.

Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil was the only travel industry journalist in Asia to cover this conference, which was managed and promoted by Bangkok-based Midas-PR and ASEAN Affairs. Because Mr. Armstrong’s views and predictions tend to go against the grain and challenge conventional wisdoms, they are unlikely to get an audience in travel & tourism. However, that is precisely why they should be heard because he is providing what every potential looming crisis needs – an early warning system to prepare and if possible, prevent and pre-empt. Broadly speaking, he discussed three topics: 1) The rise of Asia as the financial and economic powerhouse of the world, 2) the decline of the West, especially the United States, and 3) the role of money-markets and capital movements.

He presented his views in a totally detached, matter-of-fact unemotional way – futuristic but realistic, not blindly optimistic like many of the “futurists” dominating travel industry events. The fact that he is an American is critically important. If the same comments are made by non-Americans, they would be quickly tagged anti-American. Mr. Armstrong indicated that labels were irrelevant. What is transpiring worldwide all boils down to “human nature.” He repeated the phrase “that’s just the way it is” about a dozen times during the presentation.

Although debatable, his conclusions were based on historical facts, starting with the rise and fall of empires such as the Ottoman, Greek and Roman, the monetary systems they used, and their links to modern day cycles of economic change. He discussed Marx, Adam Smith, Keynes as well as Einstein. He explained in detail but plain language how money markets work, what drives the decision-making process as markets move from bulls to bears, winners and losers, updrafts and downdrafts, booms to busts, confidence and panic.

According to his profile on Wikipedia, what is happening now and what potentially happens next can be pretty well predicted by his Economic Confidence Model, which he is credited with developing based on the business cycles and pi.[3]. The Wikipedia profile says he is known for predicting the crash of 1987 to the very day.[4] “Using his theory that boom-bust cycles occur precisely every 8.6 years, he correctly predicted the Nikkei‘s collapse in 1989 and Russia’s financial collapse in 1998.[3][5]”

The computer models he showed offered a  look at the vast and complex ways to make and move money using nothing more than a keyboard. Traders can buy and sell currencies, commodities, utilities, energy, transport, metals, pharmaceuticals and much more. Under each category there are sub-categories: rice, wheat, soybeans coffee, lumber, land, real estate. These movements can be categorised by countries as well as by timing – daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. Everything is said to move by cycles which also have classifications: beta cycle, alpha cycle, panic cycle, trading cycle.

Mr. Armstrong’s objective was to help many of those who attended the conference to ride the next cycle, spot the opportunities in the market shifts, and understand when and where the pendulums are going to swing. According to him, there is a tremendous order within what may appear to be chaos. Creating databases helps identify patterns and track how empires decline, be it as a soft landing or an abrupt fall. Usually, he said, once the decline begins, it takes about 50 years for the change to be completed. In recent history, he cited the fall of the Berlin Wall as one transition. The need to analyse the past is imperative to predicting the future. Unfortunately, he said, the evidence indicates that most societies learn “absolutely nothing” from these cycles, have “no ability to retain knowledge and come up with the same stupid ideas every time.”

Here is a synopsis of what he said over two days. More details about him and his work are available here.

The decline of the West and the U.S.

He talked about how the U.S. system has amassed an “outrageous debt” and the consequences that await. “Every empire that collapses, it is because of debt. It’s always the same crisis. Governments spend more than what they have. Politicians all do the same thing. Collapse is inevitable.”

He explained why the real story never gets told — investigative journalists are muzzled, mainstream media bows to vested interests, court transcripts can be doctored, politicians often don’t read the bills they pass and rating agencies can be bribed to give Triple-A ratings. Given such a system, it was not surprising that companies like Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns “could crash in 24 hours without the politicians having a clue as to what was going on,” followed by bailouts of other companies such as Goldman Sachs.

Today, he said, interest rates are now zero and the savings and incomes of the elderly people are being wiped out. “The U.S. is about as brain dead as it can possibly be,” Mr. Armstrong said. “About 40% of U.S. debt is held outside the country. I don’t see how the currency is going to survive. In times of war, you always try and undermine the value of your enemy’s currency. It’s standard operating procedure. Today that is very easy to do. it easier to do than in any other period of history.”

He noted that that the U.S. also went from being agrarian society to an industrialised society after the Great Depression, “so a wave of creative destruction is necessary. Without the Great Depression, the U.S. would have still been a farm country. Now, it is only 3% agrarian from an employment perspective. All countries go through the same cycle. As they industrialise, manufacturing moves to places where it is cheaper. That is human nature. You can follow it like a ballet. It cannot be prevented.” He said the U.S. “may break up into four regional sections.”

But he also criticised the highly polarised atmosphere and the “creation of an atmosphere of hatred against the rich” which will worsen the polarisation. He noted that the social unrest had already started in southern Europe and would eventually spread to the United States, facilitated and coordinated by the internet, similar to the Arab spring. That is why, he said, efforts are being made to put a “kill switch” into the Internet, even though it will be impossible to actually achieve.

He said that as the economic problems near, governments become much more draconian and start going after the rich and curbing civil liberties. “Each time there is a crisis, capital rushes around the world. It goes nuts, it creates confusion and anomalies. Then governments step in to deal with the situation and give themselves more power on the grounds that they could have prevented it if they had a more power. Then, all civil liberty vanishes.”

According to Mr. Armstrong, “the US government is doing everything it can do to grab more power. Security authorities can operate without search warrants and laws are being amended to allow them to put people away without lawyers or trial. It’s scary.” The more the West gets draconian, whether through taxation, chasing the rich out, or whatever, the worse it will get. He said he often talks to Russians who fled Russia and today see things happening that an American does not. “One guy fled to America and is now seeing things that he says he never saw even when he was in Russia.” Mr. Armstrong said the reality of what is going on cannot be fully appreciated “if you have not seen tanks driving down the street, as Americans have not.”

He said the assault on civil liberties will soon reach a stage where it will be “more than George Orwell by a factor of ten”. He asked: “Do you know how many people there are (being held without charge or trial) in jail whom no-one has ever heard of? The newspapers are not going tell you. It’s just part of the corruption. People in Congress are telling me to move to Ecuador – do you know why? Because its off the map. It’s located on the equator, located on highland plateau, the weather’s great all year around. There’s no surveillance and the phone calls are not swept.”

Mr. Armstrong said he did not favour bailing out Goldman Sachs or any other big company which fails. “If they go bust, many other banks are just waiting to take over. But as long as you continue to coddle them, they will continue to do it over and over again. Why should they do anything differently as long as they know they are covered? The corporations win both ways: the government subsidises their losses and pays them all their winnings.”

The Americans don’t want to admit what everybody knows, which is that they are losing power, he said. “You will see a major capitulation in the world financial system. This is not going to survive.” Asked about the military budget and wars, he said, wars, too, are cyclical and all are basically economically driven. Asked about Julian Assange and Wikileaks, he replied, “It’s all part of the same thing.”

He predicted that by August 2014 things will shift and a lot of civil unrest will emerge. By 2016, we will see political change and the emergence of a third party in the U.S. as people are getting fed up of the two parties. Overall, he forecast another 20 years of volatility. Sometimes when a government is enraged they burn down the barn in order to get the rat, he said, noting that even if the rich paid all the taxes, it would not pay off all the national U.S. debt.

Sovereign debt crisis will force changes in many countries, with the key indicators being capital flows and currency movements. He also warned that governments are trying to eliminate money. “They want everything to go electronic. Now you can pay over Google. That way they have absolute control over everything you do. It will get a lot worse before it gets better.”

The rise of Asia

He said because capital always needs a place to park, it now sees Asia as the next place to be. He noted that Asia by and large had learned the mistakes of the 1997 financial crisis and was now better placed to absorb the capital headed this way.

“Asia is moving at a completely different peak from the rest of the world. The whole region is going to be doing well, especially China and India and other countries that do not have a sovereign debt crisis problem. China will be the world’s financial capital and Number One economy by 2020.” He lauded the Australian move to become part of the Asian century as a recognition of this shift. He forecast that Singapore will be richest country on a per capita income basis in five years because it is doing everything correct. However, he expressed concern about what he called the growing anti-foreigner sentiment there.

To retain this advantage, he added, Asia will need to underpin its stability and rule of law. He again flagged a reminder of the perils of debt. It’s always debt, Mr. Armstrong noted, citing the role of debt in creating the 1997 financial crisis. He urged: “Do not get into debt. If you get into debt, you are in trouble.”

Role of money markets and capital shifts

Many of the same rules and law that apply in physics also apply in economics. In today’s globalised world, everything is interconnected, making it imperative for players to understand what is happening on the other side, Mr. Armstrong said. There is a tremendous reservoir of capital available and traders always have to look at where does it move.

“Why do people sell? Probably because they need money to cover the losses they are taking elsewhere. That’s when you get contagion. Even these panics, once you understand how to deal with them, you can make an absolute fortune.” He quoted Machiavelli as saying that ‘history repeats itself as the passions of man have never changed.’ It’s human nature. Sometimes when you are trading, your worst enemy is yourself. Indeed, one of his slides was headlined: “How to survive your own trading decisions.”

He noted that linear thinking reduces issues to a factor of “this caused that” whereas in fact it’s a combination of several different things. Dynamic thinking is required, Mr. Armstrong suggested. He added, “All your senses have to be involved in the trading process. There is something there that is hard to describe. It is important to get a feel for the market. When to trade, when to get involved, when to step back, where am I right and where am I wrong, where do you get out. Very often, it is boring, tedious work, requiring only two or three good trades a year to make real money. If they get it right, young traders can make a lot of money very quickly.”

Interestingly, Mr. Armstrong admitted, after being asked by this editor, that the money-market traders pay no attention the economic devastation and joblessness they can cause. The morality of their actions does not occur to them.

He claimed there is no truth to claims that those who own the capital are interested in controlling the world. “They are only interested in the next quarter and what they can get out of it….Both talent and money moves and there are core groups of very top brokers which move around the world. They just follow the capital flows.” The model will not change. Money will always swing from one side to the other, like a pendulum. It’s not the high or the low but the turning point that matters, Mr. Armstrong said.

Conclusion

In spite of what may appear to be his unorthodox views, Mr. Armstrong says he remains in demand by central bankers and political leaders around the world, “largely because I will tell them what I really think and will not kiss their ass.” In fact, he says, he often finds that government officials use him to say what they really think because they are constrained by political correctness from doing so.

The upcoming directional change on a global scale could well be accelerated by the unexpected consequences of natural disasters. He warned that the world will “have to make significant changes in how we manage society or we are going to land up in all kinds of wars. Somebody has to start this process.” The U.S. economist Milton Friedman had written a book calling for a check and balance system around the world. Mr. Armstrong said Mr. Friedman had attended one of his previous lectures and liked what he had heard, and encouraged him “to continue doing what I am doing now.”

One of Mr. Armstrong’s solutions is to create an international reserve currency that “won’t be a reserve currency for one particular country,” (as the dollar is to the United States). He also made some other suggestions related to the elimination of taxation and the power to borrow. He called for the piled up sovereign debt to be swapped for investment coupons and for term limits to be installed. As a non-economist, this editor couldn’t understand any of the above. His final suggestion was crystal clear, however: “Mandate democratic reforms where the people vote.”

Between the lines, however, Mr. Armstrong proved right those who see the entire system as being a form of casino capitalism, rife with traders who make devastating mistakes but only a few pay the price of causing immense damage to banks and financial institutions. Calls for systemic reform are echoing in many world forums because it’s become too risky and the price for failure is often paid by those at the lowest rung of the economic ladder. Indeed, there is too much money involved in the hands of too few people with too little accountability and too few checks and balances. It is what is driving the push to dismantle banking secrecy and the pursuit of tax evaders.

For the travel & tourism industry, Mr Armstrong’s message is clear: Be careful with future investments and be prepared for downturns, which are occurring with increasing frequency these days. If this year has proven to be good so far, it is largely because of the absence of any global crisis. But the winds of change are blowing furiously. Travel & tourism may be resilient but it’s not invincible. The full consequences of the “directional change” are yet to be prepared for

By Dr. Elias Akleh

06 November, 2012

@ Countercurrents.org

On November 2 nd 1917 the then British Foreign Secretary, Arthur Balfour, had promised the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland his country’s help to establish a Jewish home land in Palestine. This is known as Balfour Declaration. Last Friday, the ninety fifth anniversary of this shameful declaration, Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority and the Chairman of the PLO, had also made a similar shameful declaration.

The Balfour Declaration to Walter Rothschild, the leader of the British Jewish community, to be transmitted to the Zionist Federation stated that: “… His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish People, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object …” This Declaration was made without regard to and without consulting the indigenous Christian and Moslem inhabitants of Palestine, and even before enforcing the British mandate on Palestine.

In the usual British double dealings this Declaration came in contradiction to the 1915 McMahon-Hussein agreement. Sir Henry McMahon, the British High Commissioner in Egypt , and Hussein bin Ali, the Sharif of Mecca, had an agreement, through official correspondence that Britain would recognize sovereign independent Arab state extending from the Peninsula to Iraq and would arm the Arabs if they join Britain in WWI against the Ottoman Empire , which was a German ally at the time. With Lawrence of Arabia; Thomas Edward Lawrence, as a liaison between the two parties, the Arabs, including Palestinians, revolted and liberated the whole Middle Eastern region from the Ottoman rule in 1918.

In a second betrayal to the Arabs, the British struck a secret agreement, Sykes-Picot Agreement with the French dividing the region among them, by which the British would establish its mandate on Palestine and Trans-Jordan. The British then opened Palestine for Zionist Jewish mass immigration and helped arm their terrorist gangs such as the Irgun and the Hagana, who committed many massacres against Palestinians, and later on committed terrorist attacks against the British forces.

The British government fulfilled its Balfour Declaration by establishing Israel ; a home land for Zionist Jews and by oppressing Palestinian national movements and crushing all Palestinian resistance such as the 1936 – 1939 nationalist uprising. Britain had also recognized the illegal state of Israel but, up till now, did not recognize the state of Palestine .

The British had no legal right to give an Arab country to a Zionist organization. Such an illegal crime is the origin of many Palestinian massacres, the destruction of 500 Palestinian towns, and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by terrorist Israeli army. It is estimated to have about 10 million Palestinian refugees living now in diaspora; almost 7 million of them in poor and densely populated refugee camps in the neighboring Arab states.

Since 1947 the Zionist Israeli occupation of Palestine had been the core issue and the main cause of all the wars and political conflicts in the Middle Eastern region that had affected almost the whole world.

Last Friday, November 2 nd ; the 95 th anniversary of the illegal Balfour Declaration, Palestinian President; Mahmoud Abbas had made what could be considered a similar shameful declaration in an interview with Israeli channel 2 TV. In the interview Abbas had given up the Palestinian right of return to their home land, surrendered 80% of Palestine to Israel, recognized Israeli occupation as a legal state, criticized Palestinian armed resistance of the Israeli illegal occupation as terrorist acts, and vowed to protect Israeli security by oppressing any possible future Palestinian Intifadha.

In the interview Abbas stated that although he is a refugee from the town of Safed , occupied by Israel since 1948, he does not have the right to live there although he likes to visit the town as a tourist. “… it is my right to see Safed, but not to live there…” Abbas stated because Safed is part of Israel . He stated strongly: “ Palestine for me is the 67 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. This is now and forever (he emphasized again) This is now and forever. This is Palestine for me. I am a refugee, but I am living in Ramallah, I believe that West Bank and Gaza is Palestine , and the other parts is Israel .”

In this statement Abbas recognized Israel as a state on occupied Palestinian land, and dropped his right, as forcefully and illegally evicted Palestinian refugee, as well as the right of all Palestinian refugees, to return to their own homes. When confronted with this Abbas stated to Egyptian Al-Hayyat last Saturday that he was expressing his own personal stance and not asking anybody to give up his own right of return. Yet he added: “But all those international formulas, especially that of 194, speak of a just and agreed-upon solution to the refugee issue.” This right of return plus reparations is guaranteed by international laws represented in UN resolution 194 without any condition or any agreed-upon solutions. As the representative for the Palestinian people, as he claims to be, and as a politician, Abbas needs to weigh every word he utters because it may have serious political ramifications.

It is sad to note that this so-called “just and agreed-upon solution to the refugee issue” had been adopted by the PLO since 1993 Oslo Accord. The first hint to this agreed-upon solution came in the 2002 “The Palestinian Vision of Peace” article in The New York Times written by then PLO leader Yasir Arafat where he stated: “We understand Israel’s demographic concerns and understand that the right of return of Palestinian refugees, a right guaranteed under international law and United Nation Resolution 194, must be implemented in a way that takes into account such concerns.”

The Palestine Papers; a leaked cache of about 1700 files of documents containing thousands of pages of diplomatic correspondence detailing the hidden from public inner dealings of the Israeli/Palestinian peace process, had revealed that the Palestinian Authority had already given up the right of return for almost 10 million Palestinian refugees. The Palestinian negotiating team headed by Saeb Erekat had offered Israel the return, only to the West Bank , of a “ symbolic number” of refugees. Israeli Prime Minister, then Ehud Olmert, was proposing the return of only one thousand Palestinian refugees annually for over a period of five years.

Abbas had also criticized the democratically elected Hamas government condemning their launching of rockets in rightful their self-defense against Israeli routine air raids calling it a futile action that does not produce anything. He stated: “ There is no justification for launching rockets at all. This would not produce any positive results and would not produce peace. Therefore we had announced in every occasion that such rocket launching is a futile action.”

Abbas was selling himself as the Israeli guard dog, who intimidates Palestinians and keeps them in check. He stressed proudly: “As long as I am here in this office, there will be no armed third intifada …NEVER. …We don’t want to use terror. We don’t want to use force. We don’t want to use weapons. We want to use diplomacy. We want to use politics. We want to use negotiations. We want to use peaceful resistance. Thant’s it.”

This Israeli guard dog (Abbas) entered the Palestinian arena when the Bush (son) administration created the position of a Palestinian Prime Minister in 2003 and forced him onto Yasir Arafat, who refused at the time to give any more concessions to Israel . Salam Fayyad, who came from the International Monetary Fund, was also forced on Arafat as the Finance Minister to manage money given by donor countries to PA. The goal, then, was to strip Arafat from his political and financial powers as the precursors for his ultimate assassination.

Abbas did not spare any effort to cooperate with Lt. General Keith Dayton in building from scratch, training and arming new Palestinian security forces, who would be loyal only to Abbas. He and his security Chief, Mohammad Dahlan, had conspired with then Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, to assassinate Arafat. In 2009 Farouk Kaddoumi, the Secretary-General of Fatah’s Central Committee and PLO’s political department in Tunisia , produced the minutes of a meeting between Sharon, Abbas and Dahlan implicating them of conspiring to murder Arafat.

Abbas employed his security forces to fully cooperate with Israeli security forces to oppress their fellow Palestinian brothers. They raided Palestinian homes, arrested political activists, chased young children who throw stones on Israeli patrols, oppressed free media and tortured detainees. After Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian parliamentary election Abbas conspired with the Bush Administration (Vanity Fair’s Gaza Bombshell) to topple Hamas government, yet his coup led by his Security Chief, Dahlan, failed, but divided the Palestinians into West Bank and Gaza Strip. Abbas had sabotaged all attempts to reconcile this division.

Abbas’ interview did not come in a vacuum. He wants to keep his power position and to preserve his two son’s control and monopoly of major resources of the Palestinian economy. He gave this interview just before the American election and before the Israeli election to advertize himself as still the “Best Palestinian President Israel could have” as Shimon Perez had once described him.

Abbas is just an Israeli dog. He does not represent Palestinians but had betrayed them. He had betrayed the Palestinian cause. He had betrayed Palestinian refugees. He had betrayed his Arab brothers. Abbas is just a TRAITOR.

Dr. Elias Akleh is a writer living in Corona, CA., eakleh@ca.rr.com

By Kurd Net

06 November, 2012

@ Ekurd.net

ANKARA— Shortly after the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) announced that thousands of more prisoners were to join a collective hunger strike, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç made an open call to all prisoners to end the strike.

On Sunday BDP deputy Sabahat Tuncel said 10,000 more prisoners currently held in the country’s prisons for various crimes, including membership in the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its Iranian offshoot, the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK), would join the hunger strike on Monday.

Around 700 Kurdish prisoners began the hunger strike on September 12, with a host of demands including the release of the Kurdish (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan and demanding the right to receive an education in their mother tongue, Kurdish, and the right to address courts in Kurdish.

Tuncel said on Sunday during a press conference she called after attending an Istanbul demonstration by pro-BDP protestors in support of prisoners on hunger strike, “Ten thousand more prisoners are going to join the hunger strike on Monday [Nov. 5] without a time limit or the possibility of backpedaling [before their demands are met by the government].”

“We are calling [on the government] to bring an end to oppression. Who can approve of the isolation [in prison] of the leader of a people? Who can defend barriers to the right to defend oneself and receive an education in the mother tongue?” Tuncel asked, adding that the BDP would continue to stand by the prisoners on the hunger strike. “The BDP supports the Kurdish people, the fraternity of peoples and freedoms. We [BDP deputies] are in Parliament for our people.”

The response to Tuncel’s challenge came from Arınç on Monday who said Turkey was expecting hunger strikers to end their protest. “Please end the hunger strike. Turkey is expecting you to end the strike. You have wives, families and people who love you. The government will do what is necessary in response to your demands forwarded to our government. Turkey has a Parliament to evaluate all rightful demands,” the deputy prime minister stated, addressing the prisoners.

On Sunday, Tuncel also commented on the remarks of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who said last week that the hunger strike would not result in the release of Öcalan from prison. “Don’t turn this strike into blackmail,” the prime minister said on Nov. 3, adding that the Turkish people would not agree to the terrorist leader’s release and that they instead favor bringing back the death penalty. Responding to the prime minister, Tuncel said: “Our friends on the hunger strike are not blackmailing anyone. It is you [Erdoğan] who are blackmailing us.”

 

The announcement for an expanded hunger strike came from Deniz Kaya, lawyer for several PKK prisoners, who released a statement on Sunday. Similarly, Kaya said 10,000 more PKK and PJAK prisoners were to join the hunger strike. “Starting Monday [Nov. 5], all our prisoner friends except the old, the sick and children will join the hunger strike. The full responsibility [for possible sickness or death] will belong to Prime Minister Erdoğan and his government if our demands are not met,” read Kaya’s statement.

 

The statement also said the hunger strike is aimed to “end the oppression of the Kurdish people.” “We want the oppression against our people to end. Who can eliminate or ignore our right to defend and receive an education in the mother tongue? Who can consider the isolation and torture of the leader of a people? Who can stand in the way of negotiations [by state authorities] with our leader,www.ekurd.net which is the key to the coexistence of the two peoples and the restoration of peace? We are making a call to anyone who calls himself a human being to respond to these questions. The demands we are giving voice to are aimed at the Justice and Development Party [AK Party] government. The hunger strike will continue with new prisoners joining until we have our demands met [by the government],” added the statement.

Also on Monday, the Ministry of Justice announced that they learned about new prisoners joining the hunger strike from the Turkish media and that they do not have any other information on the issue.

BDP Co-chairman Selahattin Demirtaş also spoke to the media on Sunday and said he thinks prisoners will give up the hunger strike if the AK Party government agrees to improve the prison conditions of Öcalan. BDP officials have been meeting with striking prisoners for a while. “We have received the impression from the prisoners we have talked to so far that they intend to give up the hunger strike if the government allows regular meetings [between relatives, lawyers, etc.] with Öcalan,” he stated. He also said many of the strikers are in critical condition and that the government has to make a quick decision to meet their needs.

By Bill Van Auken

06 November, 2012

@ WSWS.org

Four days of meetings in Doha, the capital of Qatar, of Western-backed elements backing the overthrow of the Syrian government began in disarray Sunday, following last week’s demand by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a shakeup within the so-called rebel leadership.

Clinton gave the Syrian oppositionists their marching orders last Wednesday, declaring that the Syrian National Council (SNC), formed barely a year ago and recognized by Washington as the “legitimate representative” of the Syrian people, had lost US backing. She dismissed the leadership that the US had previously supported as a gang of irrelevant exiles who had not set foot in Syria for decades and insisted that Washington wanted to connect with those who were “fighting and dying” in the civil war raging inside the Middle Eastern country.

In reality, it has become clear that the US is bent on fashioning a “respectable” leadership, with representatives from the various religious and ethnic groups that comprise the Syrian population in order to better mask the bitter sectarian character of the conflict that Washington is fueling, as well as the increasingly prominent role played by Islamist militias with connections to Al Qaeda.

The conferences in Doha began with a meeting of the SNC, sponsored by the Arab League and Qatar’s Sunni monarchy, that was designed to bring in new members in an effort to stave off the US bid to deprive it of its franchise as the imperialist-backed Syrian opposition. Dominated largely by the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, the SNC indicated its sharp disagreement with the US move, while failing to clarify at the outset whether it would simply reject it or haggle for a better deal from Washington.

 

The US State Department has indicated that it is prepared to offer the SNC 15 seats in the 50-member leadership of the new front being cobbled together by Washington. Dubbed the Syrian National Initiative, this new front is supposed to convene in Doha on Wednesday and Thursday.

According to press reports, SNC chief Abdelbaset Sieda has rejected the US proposal, while arguing that his Syrian National Council should have at least 40 percent of the seats in the new Syrian National Initiative.

In announcing the shift in US policy during a press conference last week in Croatia, Clinton made it clear that Washington is handpicking a Syrian leadership that it intends to install as a transitional government that would serve as a US puppet. The State Department, she disclosed, had “recommended names and organizations that we believe should be included in any leadership structure.”

The announcement apparently took Washington’s allies by surprise. “The US government gave no advance notice of its intention to renounce the council as the lead umbrella group, diplomats of three countries said,” McClatchy Newspapers reported Monday. “They said their governments learned about the initiative from news accounts.”

One Western diplomat cited by McClatchy questioned the wisdom of Clinton’s remarks about picking the individuals and organizations to include in a new leadership. “Syrians will say the Americans are imposing the names,” he said. “And I am not sure the Americans would propose the right people.”

Turkey, which has played a major role in providing the so-called rebels with arms, military training, bases and other support, scrambled to respond to the US shift, convening a two-hour meeting between Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and the leadership of the SNC in Ankara on Friday.

It is not clear whether the Sunni Islamist government in Ankara and the Sunni monarchy in Qatar, which has reportedly funneled large quantities of weapons to Islamist militias fighting inside Syria, are in agreement with the US move.

The American-driven creation of the new Syrian National Initiative has also been dubbed the “Riad Seif plan,” after the principal individual advanced by the State Department to lead it.

Seif is a Syrian capitalist who began as a textile manufacturer before winning the Adidas franchise in Syria in the 1990s. He sought to build a bourgeois party as an alternative to the ruling Baathists and ran afoul of the Assad regime by challenging a deal that placed the country’s major cellphone company in the hands of a member of the Assad family.

As the classified embassy cables made public by WikiLeaks made clear, Seif held regular meetings with officers of the US embassy in Damascus to apprise them of his own activities as well as give his assessment of developments within the Assad regime. In other words, he is Washington’s man.

In her statement last week, Clinton issued her ultimatum to the SNC, declaring that it “can no longer be viewed as the visible leader of the opposition.”

This curious choice of words suggests that there is a need for a “visible” leadership, that is secular, solidly bourgeois and oriented to the West, to serve as a front for the real forces waging the war for regime change inside Syria, which are increasingly sectarian and Islamist, including large numbers of Al Qaeda-linked foreign fighters who have poured into the country from Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Chechnya and elsewhere.

This “visible” leadership would make it politically more feasible for Washington to intervene far more directly in the war in Syria once the US presidential elections are over.

The Russian government denounced the convening of the new opposition front in Doha, declaring that Washington was violating an agreement reached in Geneva last summer committing all parties to seek an end to the fighting and a negotiated transition to a new government in Syria.

The State Department, the Russian Foreign Ministry charged in a statement Monday, has issued “direct orders about what the Syrian opposition should do to form a ‘government in exile’ and about who should join such a government.”

As Washington worked to set up its new opposition front in Doha, the vicious civil war it is fomenting inside Syria continued to give the lie to all the talk of humanitarian concern and democratic transition.

A car bomb went off Monday in a densely populated section of Damascus, killing 11 people and injuring at least two dozen more, many of them critically. The victims included women and children. Another suicide bomber attacked in Hama. The official state news agency, SANA, reported that two civilians were killed in the explosion and 10 others wounded in an attack on a state-run development agency. Opposition sources claimed that they had struck an outpost of Syrian security forces and killed 50.

In a third attack, two people were killed near Damascus by a roadside bomb.

The wave of attacks would have been denounced by Washington as terrorism if it had taken place elsewhere in the region, but in Syria such attacks enjoy US backing.

They follow the massacre last Thursday of at least a dozen Syrian soldiers captured by Islamist militiamen outside Saraqeb in northwestern Syria. A graphic video of the massacre uploaded onto social media the same day showed the militiamen beating and kicking wounded soldiers pleading for their lives. Screaming “Assad’s dogs” at them, they forced the unarmed soldiers into a pile and then executed them with automatic rifle fire.

By Countercurrents.org

05 November, 2012

@ Countercurrents.org

South Korea has shut down two nuclear reactors. Last month, authorities temporarily shut down two 1,000-megawatt reactors at separate nuclear plants after system malfunctions which were also blamed for another reactor at Yeonggwang being tripped into automatic shutdown in July.

Japan Today reported [1]:

South Korea has been forced to shut down two nuclear reactors on November 5, 2012 to replace components provided with fake quality certificates, a minister said, warning of “unprecedented” power shortages to follow.

Knowledge Economy Minister Hong Suk-Woo stressed that the “non-core” components posed no safety threat and were unrelated to a string of systems malfunctions at reactors this year that triggered calls for a safety review.

The two affected units at the Yeonggwang nuclear complex in the southwest may have to remain offline until early January, as engineers replace more than 5,000 fuses, cooling fans and other parts provided by eight suppliers.

“Comprehensive safety check-ups are necessary at these two reactors where the uncertified parts were used extensively,” Hong said.

“It’s inevitable that we will experience unprecedented power shortage during the coming winter with the two reactors shut,” he added.

South Korea operates 23 nuclear power reactors which meet more than 35 percent of the country’s electricity needs. It plans to build an additional 16 reactors by 2030.

The government has vowed to stick to its nuclear power program despite public concerns arising from last year’s nuclear disaster in Japan.

If the two Yeonggwang reactors are not brought back online as scheduled, Hong warned of a “dramatic” drop in national power reserves to 300,000 kilowatts in January, compared to the government target of 4.5 million kilowatts.

“Energy authorities are preparing a super-intense power supply emergency plan, which will be carried out in mid-November,” he said, without elaborating.

All parts supplied for use in South Korea’s nuclear plants require quality and safety warranties from one of 12 international organizations designated by Seoul.

The eight suppliers cited by Hong faked 60 warranties covering nearly 7,700 items that had been provided at a cost of $750,000, Hong said.

Of the total, more than 5,200 parts have been used in five reactors—99% of them in the two Yeonggwang units closed on November 5, 2012.

Doubts over nuclear safety standards were fueled in May when five senior engineers were charged with trying to cover up a potentially dangerous power failure at South Korea’s oldest nuclear plant.

The five, including a chief engineer at the Gori-1 reactor, were accused of violating a law on nuclear safety.

The reactor, built in 1978 near the southern city of Busan, briefly lost mains power on Feb 9 and the emergency generator failed to kick in. The power cut caused cooling water to stop circulating.

A BBC report [2] said:

Some parts in the nuclear reactors used had not been properly vetted, an official says.

They included fuses, cooling fans and power switches that did not have the required nuclear industry certificates.

“Comprehensive safety check-ups are necessary at these two reactors where the uncertified parts were used extensively,” the Knowledge Economy minister said.

While none have posed a public risk, opposition to the government’s bid to vastly expand its nuclear industry has been growing, says the BBC’s Lucy Williamson in Seoul.

Source:

[1] “S Korea shuts nuclear reactors, warns of power shortages”, Nov. 05, 2012, http://www.japantoday.com/category/world/view/s-korea-shuts-nuclear-reactors-warns-of-power-shortages

[2] “South Korea shuts nuclear reactors over unapproved parts”, Nov. 5, 2012, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20202354