The enclaves are a stumbling block to restarting peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. But in a minor win for Palestinians, an Israeli court has ordered three small West Bank settlements to be demolished after ruling they were illegal.

The houses of Ulpana overlook Beit El, an Israeli settlement of 7,000 people not far from the major Palestinian city of Ramallah. The Israeli High Court has ruled that five of Ulpana’s 14 buildings are on land belonging to a Palestinian man. It has ordered Israel’s government to demolish them and evict the 30 young families living there.

Palestinians and much of the international community consider all Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem to be illegal. But the case regarding Ulpana is much narrower, and the ruling could pose a challenge for Israel’s new unity government.

Residents here say they bought the land legally although the sale was never registered. The Israeli administrator for the area, Danny Dayon, says the houses were built with government loans.

“Is demolishing and expelling people from their homes bought with complete sincerity, is that the just solution? No. The just solution in a dispute of that kind, no doubt, is monetary,” Dayon said.

Yesh Din, the Israeli human rights group that backed the Palestinian owner’s legal case, says the government is required by law to carry out the court’s decision.

“What will happen if the Israeli government is not going to fulfill the High Court decision? I think it will be a tragedy for the Israeli society and the Israeli democracy and for the rule of law in Israel,” said Yesh Din director Haim Erlich.

The residents of Ulpana have been living in uncertainty for months. Filmmaker Alex Traiman, a father of three, is one of them. “We’re individuals here that care about Western values. At the same time we want to be an organic part of this region. We want to be at peace with our neighbors, whether those neighbors are Palestinians, whether they’re Syrians, Egyptians. At the same time we care about the law,” he said.

Two other outposts are also slated to be removed. Some members of Israel’s coalition government want to pass a law legalizing such settlements despite the court rulings. Hebrew University Professor Gideon Rahat says this would be grave.

“This is problematic. The High Court in Israel is very important, the rule of law, democracy. This is a decision that they have to go with, even for the right wing,” Rahat said.

But Palestinians say no matter what Israeli courts do, all settlements are illegal under international law and need to be removed.

"We are asking now to stop all settlements construction," said Palestinian spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeinah.

That is a direction no Israeli government has been willing to take.

Source: VOA
Middle East News from NetNewsPublisher.com

The report is not another exhortation to farmers to grow more food. Pedro Conceicao, chief economist with the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa, explained that exclusively looking at linkages between small-scale farmers and agriculture or gender empowerment and agriculture were “piecemeal approaches” and not helpful. “We have to move beyond silver bullet obsessions [such as agricultural subsidies] or attention-grabbing headlines.”

He reasoned that high economic growth rates in Africa had not necessarily resulted in a reduction in poverty and food insecurity – which points to accessibility to food and purchasing power as key factors. The report emphasizes “empowerment” and participation as important levers for change.

It argues that countries need to implement a more strategic vision of food security. An approach to emulate would be what Ethiopia had done to beef up its agriculture sector by setting up a separate Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) right next to the prime minister’s office. It is modeled on similar initiatives in Asia which helped accelerate economic growth in South Korea and Malaysia, for instance. ATA addresses bottlenecks in areas such as soil management, research and extension services.

Read more of the story here at the IRIN news service:
FOOD: Power to the people!

Regulations on exports other than through fiscal measures may have an adverse impact on the development of iron ore mining as a whole.  Stockpiling of iron ore ‘fines’  would cause environmental hazards and increase the cost of lumpy ore used by domestic industry.  However, the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, vide its order dated 29th July, 2011, suspended mining operations and transportation of iron ore in Bellary District, Karnataka, in view of over exploitation and subsequently also directed  that no part of the iron ore production in Bellary shall be exported till further orders.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia  in a written reply in the Rajya  Sabha.

Source: pib.nic.in

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MISA – Zambia Chairperson Daniel Sikazwe told journalists on Wednesday that it was disappointing to note that media organizations that are supposed to promote freedom of speech by allowing divergent views in the newspapers or electronic media, had begun to show bias against certain groups of people.

His comments come in response to a petition that was presented to MISA last week by six opposition political parties who alleged that they had been blacked out of media coverage by the state owned media, or portrayed in a negative light.

Sikazwe urged the media to be vigilant against being used as a platform by political parties to fight their political battles, and stick to providing balanced, objective and fair coverage to all sections of society that reflected the divergent and pluralistic views from different interest groups.

He however noted that the current environment in the country had been created because of the failure by those in authority to spearhead media reforms that would guarantee a free and vibrant media.

Journalists in Zambia have for a number of years been pressing for media reforms which includes repealing oppressive laws that can send scribes to prison for stories released to be against national security, as defined by the government.

The Zambian press have come under heavy attack for the manner they covered last year’s elections that saw the state media throw caution to the wind and launch vicious attacks on then opposition leader Michael Sata resulting in legal suits for which the media were ordered to compensate Sata and others thousands of dollars which they are still struggling to settle.

Source African Press Agency

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Move to the Beat™ is designed to bring teens closer to the Olympic Games and to sport in general by engaging them through a fusion of two global teen passions – sport and music. Drawing inspiration from London’s musical heritage, the campaign combines London music with Olympic sport in an effort to connect young people to London 2012.

“The number one passion point for teens is music,” explains Shay Drohan, Senior Vice President of Sparkling Beverages, The Coca-Cola Company. “Through Move to the Beat™, Coca-Cola is inspiring teens around the world to move to the beat of London and come together in the biggest Olympic Games activation in our 84-year partnership.”

Coca-Cola Presents the Beat of London 2012

The creative process behind the production of the track has been brought to life in an engaging hour-long documentary currently airing across the globe. Ronson traveled the world gaining inspiration for the song and meeting young athletes to record the sounds of their sport, before teaming up with UK chart-topper Katy B to provide the vocals.

The athletes whose sounds form the beat of the track are:

• Maria Espinoza, taekwondo athlete from Mexico
• Dayyan Jaffar, archer from Singapore
• Darius Knight, table tennis player from Great Britain
• David Oliver, 110m hurdler from the United States
• Kseniya Vdovina, 400m sprinter from Russia

In this musical experiment, Ronson recorded the array of sounds that each athlete produced while participating in their sport. He used innovative methods to capture the unique sounds of each individual sport, like cycling alongside hurdler David Oliver with a microphone to yield the sound that is produced at the precise moment his feet hit the ground.

“If someone had just sent me a hard disk of all these sounds of athletes, the track wouldn’t have been anywhere near as three-dimensional as it is because I needed those personal experiences with those athletes,” said Mark Ronson. “It’s just so important to be there to see these athletes and spend so much time around them and be in their environment to understand how to make this track.”

A sneak peak of Ronson’s journey is available online.

Source: Business Wire

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A press statement from SADC parliamentary said the mission is being led by the treasurer of the forum, Mkhululi Dlamini of Swaziland, who is a member of the Executive Committee of the forum.

It comprises members of parliament from Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The mission will be in the country until May 29, during which it will interact with electoral stakeholders and voters with a view to forming a definite picture of the voting period.

At the end of the counting of ballots at polling stations, the mission will re-convene in Maseru to compile its findings, recommendations and conclusions on the openness, fairness and credibility of the electoral process, which will be made public on May 28 during a press conference.

Among others, the observation process will be based on the forum’s own norms and standards for elections in the SADC region and the regional bloc’s principal and guidelines on elections.

The SADC statement said this will be in consonance with other regional and international election instruments, including the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observers and the Code of Conduct for International Election Observers.

This is the form’s third election observer mission in Lesotho, following ones in 2002 and 2007.

Source African Press Agency

African News from NetNewsPublisher.com

Eight scientists each received a one-year, $50,000 Discovery Grant, for a total of $400,000, for pilot projects that have great potential to lead to breakthroughs in our understanding of psoriatic diseases and to discover better treatments. The grants are also intended to lay the groundwork for additional, long-term funding from the National Institutes of Health and other funding agencies.

Learn about the National Psoriasis Foundation Discovery Grant recipients and their projects at www.psoriasis.org/grants/2012/discovery. 

    Six scientists each received a two-year, $200,000 Translational Grant, for a total of $1.2 million, for studies that aim to move laboratory and clinical discoveries into projects and treatments that benefit patients. Read about the Translational Research Grant recipients and their work at www.psoriasis.org/grants/2012/translational.

    Twelve early-career dermatologists were awarded Psoriasis Foundation medical dermatology fellowships totaling $465,000. These fellowships provide support of up to $40,000 per year to new doctors training to do research in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. The fellowships are intended to increase the number of doctors studying psoriatic diseases. Meet the National Psoriasis Foundation Fellows at: www.psoriasis.org/grants/2012/fellowship.

"National Psoriasis Foundation is committed to funding promising research," said Chip Newton of the National Psoriasis Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee. "This year, due to a record number of applicants, we awarded the highest number of grants and dollars in our organization’s history. Each of these projects has tremendous potential to advance our knowledge of psoriatic diseases, lead to new treatments and, we hope, even a cure for these diseases."

To learn more about the National Psoriasis Foundation research priorities and how you can support a cure, visit www.psoriasis.org/research.

SOURCE National Psoriasis Foundation

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"People lack a basic understanding of how the court system works. This therefore requires all in the criminal justice system to enhance educational programs so that the public understands why certain decisions are taken in court," he said.

People often believed that a suspect taken to police would be released on bail and that bail was tantamount to an acquittal.

"They forget or don’t know that bail is meant to secure the attendance of the accused person in court and therefore the amount he pays is for that purpose only and is therefore not a fine or acquittal," he pointed out.

Mhaga stressed that prosecutors’ attempts to oppose bail were boosted by a thoroughly investigated case that had all the relevant and admissible evidence.

Without these, prosecutors’ hands were tied and on many occasions they had to concede to the granting of bail.

He called on those outside the criminal justice community to play a role in educating people about the criminal justice system, saying that crime fighting was the responsibility of all South Africans.

"Our communities have tertiary institutions based in their areas that offer legal studies, why can’t those students embark on educational programs like street law projects in their communities to ensure that people understand how the court system works?" he questioned.

Trust in the court system and an understanding of how it worked would help curb mob justice; however, it was also important to redefine the term mob justice.

The term mob justice created the impression that it was another form of justice other that dispensed by the courts, Mhaga cautioned.

"Here is what I call justice: a criminal offence is committed, members of the community where this has happened apprehend the suspect and take him to the police. Police in turn present the case to the prosecutors with relevant and admissible evidence that lead to the suspect being convicted and an appropriate sentence imposed," he said.

Mhaga also spoke out against communities apprehending suspects only to set them alight or stone them, instead of handing them over to police. "This is not justice, but a community seeking vengeance," he stressed.

Referring to the criminal conduct by members of the community as "justice that flies in the face of common sense", he said that such conduct undermined efforts by those involved the criminal justice system to ensure justice is properly administrated.

"It should be understood that victims of crime will never be satisfied until a person arrested for allegedly committing that crime is convicted and sent to jail as punishment," Mhaga said.

Source: BUA News
African News from NetNewsPublisher.com

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The series will premiere on September 30, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. leading into MASTERPIECE CLASSIC “Upstairs Downstairs,” transforming Sunday nights into a destination for drama on PBS.

Written by Heidi Thomas (“Cranford,” “Upstairs Downstairs”) and directed by Philippa Lowthorpe (“Five Daughters”) and Jamie Payne (“The Hour”), CALL THE MIDWIFE completed its first season in the UK on BBC ONE in February 2012. Attracting 10.7 million viewers for its peak episode, CALL THE MIDWIFE was the highest-rated BBC new drama launch on record. A second season has been commissioned and will air in the UK in 2013. CALL THE MIDWIFE is a Neal Street production for BBC. Executive Produced by Pippa Harris (Revolutionary Road, “The Hollow Crown”) and Heidi Thomas. The series is produced by Hugh Warren (“Survivors”).

Matt Forde, EVP Sales and Co-productions, BBC Worldwide America said, “CALL THE MIDWIFE has been a phenomenal hit in the UK and we expect that its appeal will successfully cross the pond.” He continued, “Public television has historically set the standard for quality programming. We look forward to bringing unique content to PBS and continuing our long and mutually beneficial relationship.”

“CALL THE MIDWIFE is a riveting new series that strengthens PBS as a destination for drama on Sunday nights,” said Paula Kerger, PBS President and CEO. “We look forward to working with our BBC partners to introduce the story and the characters that were so beloved in Britain to the American audience.”

Based on the best-selling memoirs of Jennifer Worth, CALL THE MIDWIFE is a moving and intimate story of midwifery in London’s East End in the 1950s. The first season follows a young Jenny Lee as she and her fellow midwives, attached to an order of nursing nuns, navigate the crowded East End streets teeming with children, workers and a culture remarkably different from the wealthy English countryside where Jenny was raised.

Executive producer Pippa Harris said, “CALL THE MIDWIFE has excited the imagination of viewers in the UK and I am confident it will do the same in the US. Heidi Thomas’ witty and emotional scripts have perfectly captured a unique snapshot of British history, but the universal themes of childbirth, nursing and parenthood ring true throughout the world.”

CALL THE MIDWIFE stars Jessica Raine as Jenny Lee, along with Jenny Agutter (The Railway Children, “Spooks”) as Sister Julienne, Pam Ferris (“Little Dorrit,” “Darling Buds of May”) as Sister Evangelina, Miranda Hart (“Miranda”) as Chummy, Judy Parfitt (“Little Dorrit,” Girl with a Pearl Earring) as Sister Monica Joan, Helen George (“Hollyoaks,” “Doctors”) as Trixie Franklin, Bryony Hannah (Cemetery Junction) as Cynthia Miller, Laura Main (“Monarch of the Glen”) as Sister Bernadette and Cliff Parisi (“East Enders”) as Fred. Vanessa Redgrave provides the voice of the mature Jennifer.

The drama unfolds as Jenny meets her patients, including one woman who is on her 25th pregnancy and a young, 15 year-old prostitute pregnant for the first time. Initially shocked by the health and living conditions of the East End, Jenny soon learns to admire the families she works with, along with the sisters and fellow midwives who witness the daily drama of life in this vibrant community.

Full episodes of CALL THE MIDWIFE will be available for viewing on the PBS Video Portal for 30 days after each national broadcast.

The deal was brokered by Jemma Adkins, Senior VP Sales and Co-productions, BBC Worldwide Americas.

Source: Business Wire

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Under the program people receive $80 of vouchers each month, and can use them to buy a variety of food including rice, cooking oil and fresh camel and goat meat. So far, around 15,000 people in north-western Somaliland are being given the vouchers as an alternative to food rations, and WFP plans to expand the initiative to other areas later this year.

“Using vouchers gives people greater choice about what food to eat, and gives WFP a powerful new tool for providing food assistance to the most vulnerable,” said Stefano Porretti, WFP’s Country Director for Somalia. “At the same time, vouchers help the local economy by supporting local small and medium-scale producers and retailers.”

The first phase of the voucher project is linked to WFP’s nutrition program for young children in Burao, Somaliland. In the past, the family of each child being treated for moderate malnutrition received a monthly ration of food from WFP, but now WFP has switched to providing a set of vouchers that families can use to buy food from local retailers.

WFP is partnering with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) to distribute the vouchers, in coordination with Medair, a non-governmental organization which manages the nutrition program in Burao.

In the first phase of the voucher project, there are 13 local traders registered to accept the vouchers, including those who sell fresh camel and goat meat, which are staples of the diet for most people in the largely pastoralist region and can play a vital role in improving nutritional status.

The initiative has proven extremely popular. After the vouchers were introduced, there was an increase in the number of people bringing their children in for nutrition screening. This means undernourished children will be more likely to get the treatment they need to develop healthy minds and bodies.

Eventually, WFP plans to expand the voucher approach to relief, recovery and resilience activities throughout the country where market conditions allow.

The new tool gives WFP additional flexibility in assisting vulnerable Somalis. WFP will distribute vouchers seasonally, during harvest periods when food is available in markets, while at other times of the year WFP will continue providing direct food rations during the lean seasons when supplies are scarcer.

WFP has reached about 1.5 million people with assistance in those areas of Somalia to which we have access since the start of the food crisis last year. Long-awaited rains and a good harvest mean that famine has receded, but gains made in food security and nutrition are fragile.

Source: World Food Programme

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As a fruit of the partnership between Air France, the Aga Khan network and the Ivorian state, the newly inaugurated airline company will make its debut flight before the end of July 2012.

It thus replaces the defunct Air Ivoire, which was liquidated last July after running in debts to the tune of CFA 23.7 billion resulting in the grounding of its fleet of planes.

The fleet of the defunct airline company included three 737-500 Boeing and an A321 Airbus with an overstaffed personnel of about 400 employers, according to aeronautic experts.

The capital estimates of the new airline company, stand at CFA 25 billion with 35 percent of shares belonging to Air France, 51 percent to the Ivorian state and 14 percent to the private sector.

Meanwhile, the Ivorian government will allocate an operating budget of CFA 10.9 billion to enable the airline company generate profit.

Source African Press Agency

African News from NetNewsPublisher.com

In a protocolary session of the council at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC, President Ramotar said, “for Guyana, no priority is greater than to combat poverty, extreme poverty, inequality and social exclusion through policies that promote economic growth, access to education, health care and housing in order to better achieve sustainable development with social justice.”

The Guyanese President noted, “the critical importance of development to democracy as well as to multidimensional security compels the OAS to maintain and strengthen the role it plays in sustainable development.” He went on to warn that there can’t be debate on democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean “outside the context of our intolerable levels of poverty, when 57 million people, or 11 percent of our population, live on less than one dollar a day and 23 percent, exist daily on less than two dollars.”

President Ramotar called on countries of the region to “resolve that poverty eradication be the historic task of our generation,” and noted that “democracy cannot be safeguarded without reducing poverty; neither can poverty be effectively combated without addressing inequality.”

On the harsh effects of environmental change on the region, the Guyanese leader said the international scientific community agrees that “less developed countries and communities in the region are already suffering from the impact of climate change.” According to a World Bank report that he cited, the countries of CARICOM (Caribbean Community) will lose 4 billion dollars in the tourism sector and 5 billion dollars for direct damages from natural disasters, floods and storms caused by climate change.

The OAS Secretary for Legal Affairs, Jean Michel Arrighi, welcomed President Ramotar on behalf of Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, and Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin. The Secretary Arrighi noted that "Guyana’s commitment to regional integration is shown in many ways," among them, he said, the fact the country "is a founding member of CARICOM and hosts the Secretariat." Arrighi went on to welcome the presence of the Guyanese President, saying "it is a particular honor that you have chosen to visit the OAS just a few months after being elected on December 3, 2011." “This confirms the important priority that Guyana places on hemispheric relations,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Chair of the Council and Permanent Representative of Honduras to the OAS, Leonidas Rosa Bautista, noted the "long and solid political career" of President Ramotar inside and outside his country, and outlined "the strong relationship between the OAS and the people and government of Guyana.”

Source: Organization of American States

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How People Arrived Here:

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This comes as National Treasury on Monday released proposals for improving the country’s retirement savings. The draft proposals stem from the 2012 National Budget, with the country looking to strengthen its social security systems.

"Uniform tax treatment for retirement fund contribution and benefits will simplify the retirement system. Several initiatives to reform the annuities market, lower retirement fund costs and strengthen fund governance are under consideration," noted the overview of proposals.

"What we’re saying is that this is the beginning of an important process because retirement and retiring on the basis of a decent standard of living that one is used to is a crucial part of one’s life and what we’re finding is that only about 10% of South Africans are able to maintain the same standard of living once they stop working," Gordhan explained.

"This is not a pretty picture for South Africans going forward and the initiative we’re talking about today [will] reform the retirement industry. It is about saying how we give South Africans a better deal. How do we ensure that they have a decent standard of living post retirement and what are the things that they need to do; what [does] industry need to do and what it is that government and regulators need to do in order to achieve this outcome?"

Treasury noted that at 16%, South Africa’s gross national savings rate did not compare well with some of its Brics counterparts like India (at 34%) and China (at 53%).

Gordhan noted that fees for many products in the financial sector remained too high, with high costs in savings products undermining the national objective of getting people to save more. The financial sector, according to Treasury, must take "urgent steps" to reduce costs and introduce more appropriate and transparent products.

"This is an important step in initiating a paradigm shift in the way in which the retirement phenomenon operates in SA," said the minister.

The proposed short to medium term reforms include measures to reduce the costs of retirement products; improving fund governance and the role of trustees and reforming the annuities market.

Gordhan said this was the beginning of strengthening the regulatory practices of the retirement fund industry. He said the manner in which retirement products and costs were structured would form the crux of what would no doubt be "strenuous discussions" between government and the industry.

Although South Africa has a substantial amount of money in the retirement system, what was needed now were means of increasing the pool of savings. People needed to strike a balance between saving and spending.

The temptation and necessity to withdraw retirement funds when one changed jobs was another point highlighted in the draft proposals.

"What we want to [discuss] with stakeholders and society is how do we encourage better preservation? How do we encourage you to keep as much of that money for the long term rather than for immediate consumption purposes," questioned Gordhan.

He said it was important to increase the level of understanding of the importance of savings and ensuring a decent retirement.

The purpose of improving governance was to ensure that the beneficiaries of funds, which are the ordinary workers who contribute to these funds, benefited the most.

Tax incentives, said the minister, played an important part in inducing "savings behavior".

"Preliminary discussions have already taken place in the last few weeks, including with trade unions and business associates. The release of this paper will help us get to phase two but most importantly, we need to increase the level of understanding and literacy among the South African public.

"We want every South African to understand the importance of saving, the importance of contributing to a retirement fund and ensuring a decent retirement."

Treasury noted that not all citizens were able to save. "That’s part of a broader discussion in government involving social security reform. This process is pretty much in its final stages within Cabinet process. We hope in the next six weeks, we will be able to release this document with the Minister of Social Development."

About R2.4 trillion of the country’s household savings enter the retirement industry.

Comments to the overview document can be submitted to National Treasury until July 31.

Source: BUA News
African News from NetNewsPublisher.com

The 300-guest black-tie VIP dinner included a presentation by WildAid Founder Peter Knights, a live auction, and awards presented to Google and James H. Clark for their innovative use of technology to benefit conservation.

After dinner, guests enjoyed a live musical performance by the John Corbett Band, sipped on specialty cocktails compliments of POM Wonderful and Ketel One, sampled from a 1,000 cupcake display provided by The Food Network, and explored the virtual oceans in an exhibit by theBlu.

Knights presented a new PSA featuring Pau Gasol (LA Lakers) and a sneak peak of an upcoming documentary WildAid is working on with Peabody-Award winning director Deborah Scranton about the rhino and elephant poaching crisis in Africa, as seen through the eyes of China’s biggest star (and long-time WildAid Ambassador) Yao Ming.

Other notable guests included President Alvaro Uribe, General Ron Hite, Bill Joy, Gigi Brisson, Tod Bensen, Alan Chung, Sir Michael Rose, Andrew Paul, Jim Rogers, Xochi and Michael Birch, Sir Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Lonnie Autry, David Hersh, William Tseng, Jason Holt, Nick Osborne, and Google’s Brian McClendon.

Other sponsors include Perka, Tiffany & Co., San Francisco Magazine, FLOR, theBlu, Incase, Grand Hyatt, RBC Royal Bank, Forbes & Manhattan, AllianceBernstein, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosini, and Britex Fabrics.

WildAid (www.wildaid.org) is the only organization to focus on reducing the demand for wildlife products with the strong and simple message: when the buying stops, the killing can too.

SOURCE WildAid

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