Maldini

Actually, I don't prefer anyone of them.

Youtube still have these videos

Survey finds 28 pct of Israeli Arabs deny Holocaust By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) - More than a quarter of Israeli Arabs deny the Holocaust took place, a new survey has found, calling the findings a reflection of the depth of disaffection felt by the Jewish state's core minority. The independent poll released this week also found that many of the Arabs, who make up a fifth of Israel's population, feel subject to racism and fear possible deportation more than six years into a Palestinian uprising. According to the Haifa University survey, 28 percent of Israel's Arab citizens do not believe the Nazi killing of six million Jews during World War Two occurred. Khaled Mahmeed, an Israeli Arab who founded what he describes as the Arab world's only Holocaust museum, in Nazareth, said the findings were plausible. He accused Israel of failing to educate its Arab minority about the genocide. "They don't want us to learn. Perhaps if more Arabs did, we would insist on the lessons of the Holocaust being applied in terms of bring justice for Palestinian refugees," Mahmeed said. The Israeli Education Ministry official in charge of Arab schooling, Abdullah Khatib, rejected Mahmeed's accusation. "Arab pupils all take mandatory history classes, which include Holocaust studies. There are also joint study programs on the Holocaust with Jewish schools," Khatib said. He did not dispute the survey's findings but declined to comment on them. Sammy Smooha, a Haifa University social sciences professor who conducted the poll, said Holocaust denial was a sign of Israeli Arab anger at perceived discrimination by the Jewish establishment and Palestinian failure so far to win statehood. "Israeli Arabs do not have a narrative of their own. They share the Palestinian narrative, in which the Holocaust is seen as a political event, exploited to justify Israel's existence and offences against Palestinians," Smooha told Reuters. "There is a definite protest element here," Smooha said. REFUGEES Israel has served as a refuge for Holocaust survivors, opening its doors to Jewish immigration while refusing to allow Palestinians who fled or were expelled during the 1948 Middle East war to return. Successive Israeli governments have said those refugees should resettle in a future Palestinian state. In the survey of 721 Israeli Arabs, 67 percent described Zionism as racist and 60 percent said they feared mass deportation. Nonetheless, the poll found that 67.5 percent would want to remain in Israel even if there were a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip Sixty-two percent voiced concern their towns could be ceded to Palestinian jurisdiction. A far-right Israeli cabinet minister, Avigdor Lieberman, has proposed that Israeli Arab communities go over to Palestinian control under an ethnic partition of Israel and the West Bank, an idea rejected by centrist Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Israel's central Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem said the eruption of the Palestinian revolt in 2000 had temporarily disrupted efforts to boost Holocaust studies in Arab schools. "Virtually all the schools in the Arab sector suspended their participation," said Yad Vashem spokeswoman Estee Yaari. "But in 2006 there was a shift, and many more Arabic schools have begun coming to Yad Vashem, many subsidized by Yad Vashem." Smooha said those Arabs in Israel who acknowledged the Holocaust as fact -- 71.1 percent -- tended to accept "that it is part of the country's raison d'etre." The poll, which has a margin of error of 3.7 percent, also surveyed 702 Jews on their attitudes toward Arab compatriots. Among Israeli Jews, 63 percent said they avoid entering Arab towns, while 68 voiced worry about the possibility of a flare-up of Arab civil unrest. Despite the statistics, Smooha cautioned against concluding that race relations in Israel had been irrevocably strained. "The findings clearly show that the Arabs in Israel are closely connected to life in Israel, see their future as being part of the state and under no circumstances want to become part of the Palestinian state," he said.

Saudi Arabia shuts down Copt chat rooms on Paltalk The site administrators for Paltalk, a well-known internet chat site, have shut down most of the site’s Coptic chat rooms, especially the ones in which Islamic issues are discussed, on the grounds that the discussions are not based on an Islamic viewpoint. There have been reports that Saudi money, which controls a large portion of Paltalk stocks, is the reason for the closure of the Coptic chat rooms, which will make way for Islamic chat rooms. A group of Copts are preparing to sue the administrators of Paltalk in order to bring back the Coptic site, which allegedly offends Islam. They wonder: if that is indeed the reason, then why have the Islamic sites that are insulting to Christianity not been shut down?

Israel has killed 5,050 Palestinians since the outbreak of the second intifada From the outbreak of the second intifada on September 28, 2000, until the end of January 2007, Israel killed 5,050 Palestinians, injured around 50,000 people, and arrested more than 10,000 others. These statistics and others were released today in a report by the National Palestinian Center for Information. The report shows that among those killed, 937 were minors under the age of 18, and 481 were executed in targeted assassinations carried out by Israel. During that period, the IDF injured 49,760 people in Gaza and the West Bank. The report also noted that 351 of those killed were women and 150 people were killed at the checkpoints. During this period, settlers killed 66 Palestinians, and 36 of those killed were members of Palestinian rescue squads. Since the outbreak out the intifada, 10,400 Palestinians have been detained in Israeli jails, including 553 who have been in jail since before the second intifada began. Of these Palestinian prisoners, 1,150 of them suffer from terminal illnesses. Among the detainees, 1,175 are male and female Palestinians students and 104 are teachers. The report also documents the damages caused by the IDF to buildings and infrastructure in Palestinian Authority territories. The report shows that since the outbreak of the second intifada up until August 2006, the IDF damaged 645 buildings, partially damaged 72,437 houses, and completely demolished 30,871 houses, 4,785 of which were in the Gaza Strip. By edict of the IDF, 12 educational institutions were shut down during this period, and studies were suspended in 1,125 schools. The IDF bombed 359 houses and institutions of higher education, and took over 43 houses which were turned into surveillance points. According to the report, the IDF killed 848 students and injured 4,792. In addition, the IDF uprooted 13,572,896 trees and bulldozed 80,712 dunams of agricultural land. During this period, the IDF killed 14,829 heads of sheep and 12,151 cows, and destroyed 425 water wells. In light of Israeli aggression, the checkpoints, closures, and blockades, the unemployment rate among Palestinians has gone up by 30.3% since the outbreak of the second intifada, and 288,300 people are unemployed. According to statistics for 2006, the poverty rate in Gaza and the West Bank has reached 70%. The findings of the report show that since the outbreak of the intifada the IDF has attack 1,147 journalists and has erected more than 5,000 military checkpoints.

An eye for an eye Shas MKs are demanding the release of Jewish prisoners who attacked Arabs in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners. During a meeting arranged for them by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last week at his official headquarters, members of Shas proposed the same request. One MK, Rabbi Nissim Zeev, explained that “if Palestinian terrorists are released, then there will definitely be room to seriously consider releasing the Jewish prisoners.” Last week, a Shas party delegation made a visit to offer their condolences to the family of Asher Weisgan, who killed four Arabs before the implementation of the disengagement plan in order to thwart the plan. Weisgan committed suicide in his cell in Ayalon Prison. MKs Rabbi Nissim Zeev and David Azoulay, as well as Shas parliamentary leader Zvi Jacobson, were part of the delegation. MK David Azoulay raised the subject last week during discussions of the Knesset agenda. Azoulay spoke of “the late prisoner Asher Weisgan” and said that “the disengagement caused a profound crisis in society. Such actions led reasonable people, like the late Asher Weisgan, to commit acts of madness.” He said that the judges ignored Weisgan’s troubled psychological past and the result was “Weisgan’s suicide in prison.” Azoulay justified his request for the release of Jewish prisoners by saying that it will give them hope and they will not engage in desperate behavior. “Discussions are currently underway about the release of prisoners, not just children and women,” Azoulay said. “There are those discussing the release of prisoners who have blood on their hands. Any terrorist who has killed women and children, even if he is given ten life sentences, lives in hope that the day will come when they will release him from prison. This gives him hope, and he will not do something desperate because he knows that the day will come when Abu Mazen or Abu Arif or Abu Nasrallah or whoever will demand his release, and this is why we never hear about a terrorist committing suicide in prison.” Azoulay concluded by asking that a “good-will gesture be extended to those Jewish prisoners who have murdered for ideological reasons. In this way we give them hope and keep them from doing anything desperate like the late Asher Weisgan.” Reader responses to the article I always said that they were terrorists, just like those Arab terrorist bastards, and now there’s something to prove it. The next phase will be to kick them out of the country, demolish and shut down their houses, and use them as human shields. If there’s equality then it should be total equality—A leftist. My dear, here are a few more comparisons for you: 1) every Arab terrorist who shoots at Jewish settlements should be captured, and there should be an act of retaliation like we saw in Shefaram, which passed quietly; 2) car bombs should be set off in cafes, malls, and mosques in the PA, and civilians should be intentionally attacked because they will become terrorists or supporters of terrorists or they will beget terrorists (this is Palestinian logic); and 3) we should demand that Arab towns inside the Green Line be evacuated because they have not assimilated into Israel’s western Jewish culture (this is the logic of Peace Now)—Shai. The claims of a four-year-old child. It’s a disgrace that these men are Israeli MKs. If we’re forced to release murderers to save our prisoners then it’s bad, but we don’t have a choice. Now the genius MKs are suggesting we consider this evil and commit an even greater evil against ourselves, and to treat one evil with another. The thing that angers me the most are the brilliant claims about the need to release them because they don’t have hope. If that’s the case, then let’s release anyone who has killed or raped because they don’t have hope. A four-year-old kid can understand the idiocy of this claim. Perhaps you MKs will suggest that for every terrorist released a Shas MK/activist/thieving rabbi should be released?—Moti.

I'm a Muslim (Sunni)

Cairo: two books attacking Jesus banned The Islamic Research Academy in Cairo has banned the sale and publication of two books that attack Jesus, peace be upon him. The book, The Consultation, by a writer calling himself Ahmed al-Masih, was banned from publication. The committee that examined the book said that it conflicts with orthodox faith because the author says that Jesus’ ascension and descent is denied by both reason and God’s book, and that the Quran is merely stories for children to play with. The academy also rejected the book, Plain Talk about the Appearance of the Messiah, by Nizar Ahmed. The inspection report said that the author confirmed the death of Jesus, son of Mary, peace be upon him, and offered an odd interpretation of various Quranic verses. At the same time, the academy also rejected the book, Palestine: a Story of Jihad, because it attacked previous Muslim rulers, although it explains the true role of Jews throughout Islamic history. The inspection committee’s report stated that the book, by Qassam Abdullah, offends rulers and distorts the past, although it treats the history of the Jews since the coming of Islam and their odious traits as related by the Quran, as well as the history of the Jews in the modern era, including the tragedy of Palestine and Arab regimes’ betrayal of the cause from the time Palestine was plundered until the partition resolution was issued.

30% of Germans: Israel acts like the Nazis Some 30% of Germans believe that Israel is waging a war of extermination against the Palestinians, and 30% believe that what Israel is doing to the Palestinians is not significantly different from what the Nazis did to the Jews. These are the findings of an opinion poll released today. The poll found that 43% of Israelis think that Germans view the Jews negatively or in an anti-Semitic manner. The poll, which sought to assess the relationship between Germans, Israelis, and Jews, surveyed 1,000 Jews, 1,000 Germans, 1,000 Israelis, and 500 American Jews. The poll was commissioned by the German Bertelsmann Foundation, which promotes social reforms in centered on Israeli-Germans relations. Despite the survey’s unfortunate findings about Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, it also found an improvement in Germans’ attitudes towards Israel. For example, 28% of Germans support Israel, compared to only 8% in 1991. German support for the Palestinians has not changed since 1991 and still stands at 14%. In addition, a few Germans believe that Israel should seek out a settlement. Some 6% of Germans think Israel should reach an agreement with the Palestinians, compared to 25% in 1991. Regarding the danger of the Iranian nuclear program for Israel, 62% of Germans think that the program does constitute a danger to Israel. Many Israelis want a changed view Regarding the Holocaust, which always casts its shadow on Israeli-German relations, the poll found that many Israelis believe it is time to stop considering the Holocaust as an element in relations with German and start talking to the younger generations of Germany, unlike the older generation who lived during the war and knew of the genocide of the Jews. There is a change on 1991, when only 27% were willing to speak to the younger generation. A total of 9% of Israelis think there is no room for a dialogue with Germans, compared to 22% in 1991. True, 10% of Israelis think all Germans are guilty, even those born after the war, but 49% of Israelis think that contemporary Germans bear some responsibility towards the Jewish people. Regarding Israeli treatment of German products, 18% of Israelis said they prefer German products, compared to 58% who do not care if a product is German or not, 14% who prefer non-German products, and 8% who never buy German products. As for the Germans, 37% of them think it is a mistake to forget the past, compared to 20% in 1991. Despite this, 58% think that the Germans are right to set aside the past, compared to 62% in 1991. 22% of Germans want to know Israel Another important finding of the poll is that 33% of Germans agree that Jews have a strong influence in the world. Some 46% of Germans think that Jews are trying to exploit their past for their benefit. Despite this finding, there is a notable decline from 1991, when 57% thought this. Turning to a desire to know about the other side, the poll found that 22% of Germans are interesting in learning about Israel, compared to 40% who have a moderate interest and 38% who have a weak interest or no interest at all. Israelis appear to have very little interest in Germany. Some 60% of Israelis have only a limited—if any—interest in Germany, compared to 38% in the past. Only 13% of Israelis have a strong or very strong interest in Germany, compared to 31% in the past. This, even though 57% of Israelis have good information about Germany, compared to 48% in the past.

This thread is dedicate to World Without Discrimination If you see, read or know any discrimination acts, please bring it here

Israel says it won't work with coalition By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - The rival Hamas and Fatah movements formed a long-elusive unity government Thursday, hoping to end bloody infighting and lead the Palestinians out of yearlong international isolation. Israel immediately said, however, that it would not deal with the new government. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of the Islamic militant Hamas announced the final coalition agreement and platform after months of stop-and-go negotiations. It is to be approved by the Palestinian parliament on Saturday. The coalition platform posted on Hamas and Fatah Web sites calls for continued observance of a truce with Israel but falls short of Israeli, U.S. and European requirements that the new government recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept previous peace deals. The new government's platform includes only a vague pledge to "respect" past peace deals, falling short of explicit recognition of Israel. It also affirms the Palestinians' right to resist and "defend themselves against any Israeli aggression." While many in the West consider "resistance" to be a code word for violent attacks, Palestinians have a wide variety of definitions that can encompass anything from armed attacks to street protests. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said his government will boycott the coalition government and encourage other countries to do the same because its program falls short of the international conditions for acceptance that include recognition of the Jewish state. "Unfortunately the new Palestinian government seems to have said no to the three benchmarks of the international community," Regev said. "Accordingly, Israel will not deal with this new government and we hope the international community will stand firmly by its own principles and refuse to deal with a government that says no to peace and no to reconciliation." Western countries have said they will wait for the new government to take office before deciding whether to lift economic sanctions against the Palestinian government. Haniyeh said the Palestinians have received encouraging signals from Europe. "No doubt, there is a different position by the American administration and the Israelis," he said, adding that the new government would do its best to bring about an end to the boycott and "maintain relations with all the international community." Haniyeh said he hoped the new government will "launch a new era" for the Palestinians. Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a senior aide to moderate President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, said the new coalition opens the way for a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. "This is the right moment to move toward the peace process," he told reporters. "If it (the international community) is serious, if it is looking toward stability in the Middle East, this is the right moment to go ahead" by implementing the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan. Another Abbas aide, Nimr Hamad, said the new government represents all Palestinians. "When Israel says it doesn't want to deal with it, it means it does not want to deal with the Palestinians," he said. Haniyeh presented the Cabinet lineup Thursday — nine ministers from Hamas and six from Fatah — to Abbas, who accepted it. Haniyeh and Abbas agreed to the power-sharing deal last month in Saudi Arabia, but had spent the past few weeks ironing out the final details. The final stage of the coalition talks dealt with one of the most difficult issues — who would fill the post of interior minister and assume control over the security forces. Most of the veteran members are loyal to Fatah, but Hamas last year formed its own 5,600-member militia. Officials identified the new minister as Hani Kawasmi, a senior Interior Ministry civil servant who has good relations with Hamas and Fatah, but does not belong to either party. Mustafa Barghouti, the incoming information minister, confirmed the appointment. Barghouti said other key appointments included Salam Fayyad, an internationally respected economist, as finance minister, and Ziad Abu Amr, an independent lawmaker, as foreign minister. Haniyeh will remain as prime minister, and Azzam al-Ahmed, head of Fatah's parliament bloc, will be deputy prime minister. Hamas trounced the more moderate Fatah in parliamentary elections last year, giving it control over most government functions. But the Hamas-led government was crippled by Western sanctions imposed over its refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist. Abbas, who was elected separately in 2005, has been pushing Hamas since last autumn to join Fatah in a more moderate coalition in hopes of lifting the Western boycott. The negotiations collapsed repeatedly, often sparking rounds of deadly factional fighting in Gaza. As negotiations continued, there was an exchange of fire between Hamas and Fatah forces in the northern Gaza Strip. Security officials said nine people, including five bystanders, were slightly wounded in the shootout. More than 130 people have died in the infighting since last May. On Thursday, a Fatah activist died of wounds he sustained the previous night in a shootout with Hamas gunmen in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian security officials said.

Palestinian PM unveils unity team Haniya (L) hopes the deal will start a new chapter for Palestinians Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya has unveiled a national unity cabinet after months of negotiations between his Hamas movement and Fatah. The key posts of finance, interior and foreign ministers will go to men who are not members of Hamas or Fatah. The list will be submitted to parliament on Saturday for approval. Israeli officials have criticised the new government's platform which they say does not contradict Hamas's core principle of not recognising Israel. US and European Union officials say they are waiting for the final outcome of the unity talks before deciding whether to lift economic sanctions imposed on the outgoing Hamas-led government. Key tests Israeli officials have made it clear they see the agreement as a step backwards, as it does not address their demands that the new government recognise Israel and sign up to past Israeli-Palestinian deals. "It is difficult to see anything positive in this," an official told the BBC. BBC Middle East analyst Roger Hardy says the unity deal has had a difficult birth and there is still deep mistrust between Hamas and Fatah, the two factions whose bitter rivalry brought the Palestinians to the brink of civil war. "We hope that this government will mark the start of a new era and enable us to turn the page," Mr Haniya told journalists after handing the list to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, of the rival Fatah faction. Mr Haniya said if the Palestinian parliament approved the cabinet list, as it is expected to do, the ministers could go straight to Mr Abbas to be sworn in so the government could start work. The key position of interior minister is being given to an independent academic, Hani Kawasmi. Analysts say the main test he faces will be over whether he can impose control over Hamas and Fatah military chiefs who currently exercise huge power and autonomy. The test for the incoming finance minister, Salam Fayyad, will be to reverse a trend in which money has flowed to the Hamas-led government through unofficial channels, because of the international boycott.

Happy birthday :D

Barcelona out :laugh3:

Giuliany may be the president, no way:confused:

Egypt summons Israel envoy over alleged '67 killings By Reuters CAIRO - Egypt summoned Israel's envoy to Cairo yesterday after Israeli media allegations that the Israel Defense Forces may have killed 250 captured Egyptian soldiers at the end of the 1967 war. Two ruling party lawmakers demanded the ambassador's expulsion, calling him a dog and an apostate. Another called for a special parliamentary session for a declaration of war on Israel. Egyptians were outraged by an Israeli documentary film which, according to media reports, alleged an army unit led by Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, now infrastructure minister, may have killed 250 prisoners of war in the Sinai peninsula rather than transferring them to POW camps. Egypt's deputy foreign minister for legal affairs, Abdel Aziz Seif al-Nasr, said Egypt had summoned Israeli ambassador Shalom Cohen to demand an explanation for the contents of the documentary, aired on Israel's Channel One television last week. Egypt also asked its ambassador in Tel Aviv to obtain a copy of the documentary from the Israeli government, he said. Israeli media quoted Ben-Eliezer as denying Egyptian prisoners were executed. He said Palestinian gunmen were killed during the fighting, not Egyptian soldiers. "Our ambassador was asked to come to the foreign ministry and he did. They had a discussion," said an Israeli foreign ministry spokeswoman, declining further comment. "That dog of an Israeli ambassador must leave Egypt," said Mahmoud Salim, a lawmaker from President Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party. Another ruling party lawmaker, Alaa Hassanein, said, "I demand the expulsion of that apostate Israeli ambassador and the withdrawal of the Egyptian ambassador from Israel." A spokeswoman for Israel's broadcasting authority had no immediate comment. Reports of wartime executions in the Sinai peninsula have surfaced before. In 1995, a retired Israeli officer told a newspaper of the killing of 49 Egyptian prisoners of war during the 1956 war. An Israeli inquiry concluded that both Egyptian and Israeli troops had killed prisoners.

Also Islam will be fake according to their claim, for that I'm sure that is another try from the Zionists to destroy the religions except Judism of course

I'm always careful when I write anything on this forum

Europe, Asia stocks drop, China recovers By TOBY ANDERSON, AP Business Writer LONDON - Chinese stocks bounced back Wednesday after their biggest decline in a decade, while shares in Europe and elsewhere in Asia fell for a second day amid jitters about possible slowdowns in the Chinese and U.S. economies. U.S. stocks stabilized on soothing comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Analysts said the selloff was most likely a correction to cool overheating markets. "There is definitely a case for a market correction but as of yet I would not worry about the economic impact," said Holger Schmieding, chief European economist at Bank of America in London. "This is not something to worry about. There are little ramifications beyond the markets being immediately affected." In Britain, the benchmark FTSE 100 Index lost 1.82 percent, while France's CAC 40 fell 1.29 percent and Germany's DAX Index slid 1.53 percent. In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrials were fluctuating but stayed positive, up 53 points at the 12,270 level in early afternoon. The selloff was more pronounced in Asia, with indexes in Japan, S. Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Australia sliding more than 2 percent after Wall Street suffered its worst day Tuesday since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index tumbled 2.85 percent to 17,604.12, while Philippine stocks plunged 7.9 percent, their worst drop since 1997, at the height of the Asian financial crisis. But several Asian markets also trimmed big early losses as the day progressed, though analysts warned that markets would likely remain volatile for a while. "We don't need to worry about a big reduction from here, but this correction could continue for the next couple months," said Shinichi Ichikawa, an equity strategist with Credit Suisse in Tokyo. Meanwhile, China's Shanghai Composite Index bounced back 3.9 percent to close at 2,881.07, rebounding from its 8.8 percent plunge Tuesday — its biggest drop in a decade — which triggered the global sell-off. Bullish comments in China's state-controlled media appeared to reassure anxious domestic investors, who account for virtually all trading. China will focus on ensuring financial stability and security, the official Xinhua News Agency cited Premier Wen Jiabao as saying in an essay due to be published in Thursday's issue of the Communist Party magazine Qiushi. Authorities also denied rumors of a 20 percent capital gains tax on stock investments — speculation on which played a role in Tuesday's plunge. But many analysts cautioned against focusing only on China's role. "The selloff in equities cannot be blamed wholly on China. This is case of the market flying too close to the sun, and the hot money collapsing," said Torben Krogh Nielsen, an analyst with Saxobank. "It's a correction that's been seven months coming." "If there's a larger message behind all this, it's that the era of cheap money is over and you can't blame China for that," concurred David Karsboel, head of market strategy for Saxobank in Copenhagen, Denmark. Some investors used the drop as an opportunity to go bargain-hunting. Malaysian stocks, after falling as much as 8.2 percent, closed down 3.3 percent. Australian stocks closed down 2.7 percent after falling as much as 3.5 percent. Many Asian markets were due for a correction after their recent spectacular performance, analysts said. Benchmark indexes in China, Australia and Singapore had all hit records in February. Before this week's plunge, Malaysian stocks had gained 17 percent this year, while Philippine shares had climbed about 12 percent. "A lot of that exuberance about just buying anything at all costs just starts to evaporate if the market has big falls like this," said David Halliday, associate director at Macquarie Equities. "I think the important thing to note is that this hasn't been triggered by an economic, financial or political crisis." Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki echoed that sentiment, trying to quell concerns about the Tokyo market by stressing that overall fundamentals in Japan were still strong.

Fed chairman says markets working well By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress on Wednesday that the administration and federal regulators are closely monitoring financial markets in the wake of the biggest sell-off in stock prices in more than five years but so far the markets appear to be "working well." Facing his first market crisis since taking the top Fed job a year ago, Bernanke answered questions on Tuesday's market plunge with a calm, matter-of-fact demeanor, explaining developments in plain language without any of the famously opague language that his predecessor, Alan Greenspan, sometimes used. In what might have been a reference to Greenspan, Bernanke testified at one point that there did not appear to be a "single trigger" to Tuesday's sharp sell-off, which saw the Dow Jones industrial average fall by 416.02 points. Some analysts believe that Greenspan's comments over the weekend that there was a possibility of a recession by the end of the year along with a sharp drop in China's Shanghai stock market contributed to Tuesday's big drop on Wall Street, which saw the Dow Jones industrial average fall by 416.02 points. But Bernanke let members of the House Budget Committee know that he didn't intend to assign blame. "There didn't seem to be any single trigger of the market correction we saw yesterday," he said in response to a question. "I don't think it would be useful for me to try to parse the movement into the components associated with different pieces of news or pieces of information." On Wall Street, investors seemed to take comfort from Bernanke's comments that there was no single trigger to the big selloff. At midday, the Dow Jones average was up 42 points after having been up by more than 100 points earlier in the session. Despite Tuesday's market turmoil, Bernanke said he did not believe there had been a major change in the outlook for the economy. He repeated that the Fed expects "moderate growth" this year. Bernanke said that the Fed along with the president's working group, which was formed in the wake of the 1987 stock market crash, had been closely monitoring market developments. He said that the markets "seem to be working well." He said there had been "no material change in our expectations for the U.S. economy since I last reported to Congress" when he delivered the Fed's latest economic outlook two weeks ago. "We are looking for moderate growth in the U.S. economy going forward," Bernanke said. He said that if current corrections under way in housing and the amount of inventories being held by business stabilize in coming months, the economy should begin to rebound from its current slowdown by the end of the year. Bernanke's comments on the stock market decline occurred at a hearing where he delivered virtually identical warnings as he did in a Senate hearing last month about the need to deal with looming budget problems in the government's giant benefit programs of Social Security , Medicare and Medicaid. At the White House Wednesday, press secretary Tony Snow said that President Bush had called Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to get a readout on the stock market plunge. Asked what advice the president would give to investors, Snow said: "The president does not give advice to investors in the stock market." Greenspan, speaking by satellite to an audience in Hong Kong on Sunday night, had said that the current five-year-old economic expansion was beginning to show early signs of the types of imbalances that could lead to a recession. He said it was possible the U.S. could be in a recession by the end of this year, although he noted that most private forecasters did not consider that a likely outcome. Greenspan's comments and the steep drop in the Shanghai market raised worries that investors needed to focus more on the risks facing the global economy

Stocks bounce back after big selloff By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer NEW YORK - Wall Street rebounded fitfully Wednesday from the previous session's 416-point plunge in the Dow industrials as investors took comfort from comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke but still showed signs of unease about the economy. In late afternoon trading, the Dow Jones industrials were up 55.76, or 0.46 percent, at 12,272.00. Broader stock indicators were also higher. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was up 7.82, or 0.56 percent, at 1,406.86, and the Nasdaq composite index was up 9.57, or 0.40 percent, at 2,417.43. Bernanke's remarks to Congress that he still expects moderate economic growth gave some investors confidence to look for bargains. A recovery in some overseas markets following a worldwide selloff Tuesday also lent some support to U.S stocks, but the advance lacked some conviction — the major indexes fluctuated through the morning and into the afternoon, with the Dow rising as much as 137 points before pulling back and then advancing again. The Fed chairman allayed some of the fears about a slowdown in the U.S. and Chinese economies that fed Tuesday's drop; remarks earlier in the week from former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan warning that a U.S. recession could take hold later this year contributed to Tuesday's declines. Investors were parsing a series of economic reports out Wednesday, hoping to glean a direction for stocks. The market took some solace from a Commerce Department report that the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter. The gross domestic product reading was slightly below expectations, but didn't come in as low as some investors feared. The reading was more than a percentage point below the initial estimate of 3.5 percent made a month ago. Bernanke's comments and the GDP report helped depressed stock prices look a little more attractive. "It's typical that you get a bounceback the next day," said Joseph V. Battipaglia, chief investment officer at Ryan Beck & Co. "Now we're essentially flat on the year. Can we go up from here or down? That sorting-out process will continue now." A recovery in China's Shanghai Composite Index, which had fallen nearly 9 percent Tuesday, also helped boost U.S. stocks, although other Asian markets and European exchanges saw declines of more than 1 percent. Bonds fell as stocks tried to recoup some losses. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 4.56 percent from its low for the year of 4.47 percent late Tuesday. The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices fell. Light, sweet crude rose 33 cents to $61.79 on the New York Mercantile Exchange as investors brushed off concerns about demand. In other economic news, the National Association of Purchasing Management- Chicago index of business conditions in the Midwest showed a weaker-than-expected reading. The February figure fell to 47.9 from 48.8 in January. The report is often viewed as a bellwether for the Institute for Supply Management's index of manufacturing activity for February, which is due Thursday. Also, a Commerce Department report found new-home sales fell by 16.6 percent in January from the previous month, the largest drop in 13 years. "I thought on Monday and I think even more today that the stock market offers good value and that it will move higher for the year," said Ed Keon, chief investment strategist at Prudential Equity Group. Valuations were lowered by Tuesday's drop, which erased $632 billion in shareholder equity, according to Standard & Poor's. In corporate news, Merck & Co. regained some ground after the drugmaker issued a first-quarter profit forecast that surpassed estimates of Wall Street analysts and raised its profit target for the year. The company rose $1.05, or 2.4 percent, to $44.23. Fremont General Corp. fell $2.06, or 17.6 percent, to $9.60 after the mortgage lender warned it would delay the release of its fourth-quarter report, which had been set for Wednesday. The company also plans to delay filing its annual report. Most U.S.-listed Chinese companies recovered at least some of their huge losses from Tuesday. Internet company Baidu.com Inc. rose 85 cents to $105.61, while Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd., which develops online games, rose 95 cents, or 4.2 percent, to $23.57. China Mobile Ltd. advanced $2.21, or 5 percent, to $46.37. Sprint Nextel Corp. rose $1.05, or 5.7 percent, to $19.50 after the nation's third largest wireless carrier said fourth-quarter profit rose 33 percent on stronger revenue. While many sectors saw buyers sniffing for deals, homebuilders saw additional selling, due in large part to the Commerce Department report that new-home sales plunged in January by the largest amount in 13 years. Toll Brothers Inc. fell 73 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $29.86; D.R. Horton Inc. dropped 46 cents to $25.25; Centex Corp. fell 89 cents $49.34; KB Home fell 60 cents to $49.49; and Pulte Homes Inc. fell 48 cents to $29.45. Advancing issues outpaced decliners by about 2 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume was a heavy 1.71 billion shares. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies was up 2.08, or 0.26 percent, at 794.74. Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 2.85 percent, while Hong Kong's Heng Seng index ended down 2.46 percent. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 3.94 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 closed down 1.82 percent, Germany's DAX index finished down 1.53 percent, and France's CAC-40 was down 1.29 percent.

Israeli expert quashes film claim about Jesus tomb by Delphine Matthieussent JERUSALEM (AFP) - A top Israeli archaeologist on Monday rubbished claims featured in a documentary by award-winning film directors that the burial site of Jesus has been located and which suggests he had a son. The Oscar-winning James Cameron and Israel-born Simcha Jacobovici are to unveil their explosive conclusions at a New York news conference on Monday ahead of the March 4 premiere of their film on the Discovery Channel. The claims in "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" are based on the 1980 discovery of a tomb containing 10 caskets in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Talpiot. Some of the caskets were inscribed with the Hebrew names Yeshu Ben Yossef (Jesus son of Joseph), Yehuda Bar Yeshu (Judah son of Jesus), Martha and Myriam (Mary) -- all names associated with key players in the New Testament. But archaeologist Professor Amos Kloner, who documented the tomb as the Jewish burial cave of a well-off family more than 10 years ago, is adamant there is no evidence to support claims that it was the burial site of Jesus. "I'm a scholar. I do scholarly work which has nothing to do with documentary film-making. There's no way to take a religious story and to turn it into something scientific," he told AFP in a telephone interview. "I still insist that it is a regular burial chamber from the 1st century BC," Kloner said, adding that the names were a coincidence. "Who says that 'Maria' is Magdalena and 'Judah' is the son of Jesus? It cannot be proved. These are very popular and common names from the 1st century BC," said the academic at Israel's Bar Ilan University. Kloner said that of 900 burial caves found within four kilometres (two and a half miles) of Jerusalem's Old City and from the same era, the name Jesus or Yeshu was found 71 times, and that "Jesus son of Joseph" had also been found. Discovery News said new scientific evidence, including DNA analysis conducted at one of the world's top molecular genetics laboratories, suggests that the tomb could have once held the remains of Jesus and his family. The findings also suggest that Jesus and Mary Magdalene might have had a son called Judah, it said on its website -- claims that Kloner ridiculed as impossible to prove. "You would have to do DNA checks and see if the DNA of the bones found in the cave, which allegedly belong to the son of Jesus, match with God's DNA!" he said, referring to the Christian belief that Jesus was the son of God. Israel's Antiquities Authority refused to comment, although in 1996 a spokesman said that the probability of the caskets belonging to the family of Jesus were "next to zero." "It doesn't get bigger than this. We've done our homework; we've made the case; and now it's time for the debate to begin," said Cameron in a statement. The Orthodox and Catholic Christian churches place Jesus's tomb below the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Old Jerusalem, while Protestants believe it is farther north outside the city walls.

Iran: U.S. is in no position to attack By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer TEHRAN, Iran - The Iranian foreign minister said Saturday the United States was in no position for another war, and maintained that negotiations — not threats — were the only way to resolve the standoff over its nuclear activities. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was responding to Vice President Dick Cheney, who renewed Washington's warning to Iran earlier Saturday that "all options" were on the table if Tehran continues to defy U.N. demands to halt uranium enrichment. Mottaki said the U.S. could not afford to settle its differences with Iran by launching a third war after Afghanistan and Iraq. "We do not see America in a position to impose another crisis on its tax payers inside America by starting another war in the region," Mottaki told reporters. The United States and several of its Western allies fear that Iran is using its nuclear program to produce an atomic weapon — charges Iran denies, saying its aim is to generate electricity. The IAEA reported on Thursday that Iran had ignored a UN Security Council ultimatum to freeze its uranium enrichment program and had expanded the program by setting up hundreds of centrifuges. Enriched to a low level, uranium is used to produce nuclear fuel but further enrichment makes it suitable for use in building an atomic bomb. The IAEA report came after Wednesday's deadline of a 60-day grace period for Iran to halt uranium enrichment. Iran has repeatedly refused to halt enrichment as a precondition to negotiations about its program. Mottaki urged the U.S. and its allies to return to dialogue when they are scheduled to meet in London next week. "The only way to reach a solution for disputes is negotiations and talks. Therefore, we want the London meeting to make a brave decision and resume talks with Iran," Mottaki said. Bill Richardson, the governor of the U.S. state of New Mexico and a Democratic presidential candidate, on Saturday also urged the Bush administration to negotiate directly with Iran. "Saber-rattling is not a good way to get the Iranians to cooperate," Richardson wrote in an op-ed piece in the Washington Post. "But it is a good way to start a new war." Iran, Richardson wrote, "will not end their nuclear program because we threaten them and call them names." Separately, Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said it killed 17 mercenary fighters on its border with Turkey and accused the United States and its allies of seeking to provoke tensions along the country's frontiers. In a statement, the Guards said 17 "counterrevolutionary mercenaries" were killed, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported on Saturday. The Guards chief, Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi, said the U.S., Britain and Israel were seeking to incite tension on Iran's borders to undermine its government, IRNA reported. "Iran's enemies, through hiring some mercenaries and with their wishful thinking, want to create instability but ... the armed forces will strongly suppress anti-revolutionaries and rebels who are dependent to foreigners," Safavi was quoted as saying.

I think the illegal aliens should entering USA to work not to kill. But it's a normal result due to the greedy of capitalism

Truck blast kills 35 at Iraqi mosque By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq - A truck exploded Saturday as worshippers left a Sunni mosque west of Baghdad, killing at least 35 people and injuring more than 60 in an apparent sign of increased internal Sunni battles between insurgents and those opposing them. The imam of the mosque in Habbaniyah, about 50 miles west of Baghdad, had spoken out against militants fighting the U.S.-backed government, including the group al-Qaida in Iraq. At least 35 people were killed and 62 injured, said Lt. Abdul-Aziz Mohammed in Habbaniyah, which lies between the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah — both hotbeds of the insurgency. Earlier Saturday, thousands of Shiites rallied in the holy city of Najaf on Saturday to protest the nearly 12-hour detention of the eldest son of Iraq's most influential Shiite politician as he crossed back from Iran. The U.S. military called the incident "unfortunate." "Is this the way to deal with a national figure? This does not conform with Iraq's sovereignty," said Amar al-Hakim, 35, who was taken into custody Friday at the Zirbatyah crossing point southeast of Baghdad along with his security guards. Al-Hakim said U.S. soldiers handcuffed and blindfolded him before his release and "strongly abused" his bodyguards. He said cellular phones, licensed weapons and two-way radios were among items confiscated. "It is not a question of offering apologies," he told a news conference in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad. "We need clear and honest measures to prevent such incidents from happening again." The convoy was using the same route Washington believes is used to keep powerful Shiite militias flush with weapons and aid. Al-Hakim said U.S. military officials told him the detention was because his passport had expired, but he said it was valid until Sept. 17, 2007. Even though U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad issued a rapid apology, the decision to hold al-Hakim risks touching off more backlash from Shiite leaders at a time when their cooperation is needed most to keep a major security sweep through Baghdad from unraveling. It also highlights the often knotty relationship between U.S. military authorities and Iraq's leaders, whose ties to neighboring patrons — Syria backing Sunnis, and Iran acting as big brother to majority Shiites — add fuel to sectarian rivalries and bring recriminations from Washington about alleged arms smuggling and outside interference. A suicide car bomb struck in the same Baghdad neighborhood as the headquarters of the political bloc led by al-Hakim's father, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI. At least three people were killed and it was not immediately clear if the attack was related to the detention. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, ducked a question about the detention during a news conference, saying only that the circumstances were unclear and still being investigated. But Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi, a Shiite and a top leader in the parliamentary bloc controlled by al-Hakim's father, described the behavior of the U.S. troops involved in the detention as "inappropriate, foolish and haphazard." He told Al-Forat television that the incident has highlighted the need to streamline security cooperation between the Iraqi and U.S. sides, adding that it was "a gross violation of an important personality that we cannot accept." The U.S. military said Saturday that the vehicles were initially stopped because they "met specific criteria for further investigation in an area where smuggling activity has taken place in the past." Al-Hakim was detained after members of the convoy "did not cooperate with coalition forces and displayed suspicious activities," but he was released to Iraqi authorities and his possessions were returned after further investigation, the military said. "Mr. Hakim was treated with dignity and respect throughout the incident," the military said. "Unfortunate incidents such as this occasionally occur as Iraq endeavors to secure its borders." Shiite reaction to the detention was quick and sharp on the streets, and some officials suggesting it was a veiled warning about the limits of ties to Iran. About 8,000 people demonstrated near the Imam Ali mosque in Najaf against the detention, raising Iraqi flags and pictures of al-Hakim and his father, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim. Banners warned that such acts jeopardized the political process. "The detention of al-Hakim represents an insult to the Iraqi people," said Hassan al-Shebli, a 45-year-old store owner who was among the protesters. "The Americans should avoid such irresponsible acts if they want to establish stability in the country." Hundreds also took to the streets in Baghdad's main Shiite district of Sadr City and the southern Shiite cities of Karbala and Basra to protest the detention and call for an investigation. But the protests were relatively small considering the influence of the al-Hakim family, indicating they were mainly aimed at sending a warning to the Americans. "What happened is unacceptable," Shiite lawmaker Hamid Majid Moussa told Al-Forat television. "The Iraqi government and the American forces must put an end to such transgressions," Shiite lawmaker Hamid Majid Moussa told Al-Forat television. The station is just one part of the multilayered clout of the al-Hakim family. Al-Hakim's father, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, met with U.S.President George W. Bush at the White House in December. He is the leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI, the country's largest political force. The bloc carries the strongest voice in the 275-seat parliament and holds critical sway over the fate of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. It also maintains very close ties to Iran, which hosted the elder al-Hakim and other SCIRI officials before the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. In December, American forces seized two Iranian security agents at the elder al-Hakim's compound in Baghdad. Six other Iranians were arrested Jan. 11 at an Iranian liaison office in northern Iraq. The U.S. military said they were members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard. Tehran denies the charges. Washington has repeatedly accused Iran of funneling weapons to militants, including lethal roadside bombs that have targeted U.S. troops. The U.S. ambassador to Iraq tried to defuse any showdowns with Shiites that could upset a 10-day-old offensive seeking to reclaim Baghdad's streets from militants and sectarian deaths squads. Shiite militias appeared to clear the way for the effort by rolling back fighters and checkpoints. "I am sorry about the arrest," Khalilzad said. "We don't know the circumstances of the arrest and we are investigating and we don't mean any disrespect to Al-Sayed Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim or his family." Khalilzad promised: "We will find out what has happened." The U.S. Embassy said al-Hakim "was not singled out" and "soldiers were following standard procedure" at the border crossing. "There were some serious allegations made here about the way that the arrest was conducted and the investigation is going to examine how the event unfolded," embassy spokesman Lou Fintor said Saturday. Amar al-Hakim heads a charity dedicated to the memory of his uncle, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, who was killed along with scores of others in a car bombing in Najaf in August 2003. His father took over SCIRI after the killings, and Amar is apparently being groomed to take his place someday.