Palestinian leader wants US backing in UN proposal

The Jakarta Post, Associated Press, Jerusalem | Fri, 12/31/2010

The Palestinian president said a new attempt by the Palestinians to get the United Nations to condemn Israeli settlements was specifically designed to win U.S. support.

As part of a new emphasis on winning international support for their cause, the Palestinians have drafted a proposal and are lobbying for a Security Council resolution that would declare West Bank settlements illegal and an "obstacle to peace."

The U.S. has said it doesn't support the move, but it remains unclear if it will veto the measure or abstain should the draft come to a vote. Israel says it is an attempt by the Palestinians to avoid negotiations.

Speaking on Thursday to Palestinian expatriates and Arab ambassadors in Brazilia, Brazil, President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian draft used language similar to that used by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has criticized settlements.

"We drafted it using the same words that Secretary Clinton is using and so we don't see why the U.S. would veto it," Abbas said.

Brazil, along with several other South American countries, recently recognized the yet-nonexistent state of Palestine.

With peace talks at an impasse, the Palestinians are increasingly trying to win international recognition of their state, which they hope will put bring more pressure to bear on Israel.

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“Those who love and care for Israel,” writes contributor Starhawk, “need to stand with her true interests now, by demanding an end to the occupation, an end to the siege of Gaza, the dismantling of the settlements, restitution, and real justice. These are the preconditions that will lead to true security and peace.”

Singapore group challenges same-sex attraction

RNW, 31 December 2010

With a jacket casually draped over a T-shirt and sporting stylishly cropped hair, 49-year-old Leslie Lung looks markedly different from his younger self.

Leslie Lung

"It's been a journey from that all the way to where I am today," the advertising creative consultant said with a slight smile as he pointed to two photographs taken when he was 20.

The pictures show Lung made up as a woman in a form-fitting black tube top, long wavy hair tumbling over his shoulder and a glittering choker adorning his neck.

They are among the illustrations in a hardcover book written by Lung titled "Freedom of Choice: Short Stories of Freedom from Sexual Bondage."

Describing himself as having spanned "the entire gamut" of relationships, Lung is now the executive director of Liberty League, a controversial support group which says it aims to help people who want to overcome "same-sex attractions".

"We think that it is something that can be managed, it can be something that can be overcome, and there are people who have successfully come out of it," said Lung, who considered sex-change surgery when he was younger.

Set up in 2004, Liberty League is staffed by 10 volunteers and financed by grants from the government and private donors.

Singapore gay rights activists object to Liberty League's activities.

"They present the idea that being gay is bad and therefore you should change to straight," said Alex Au, one of the founders of gay rights group People Like Us.

"But that already is creating stigma. Why do you even present the message?" Au said Liberty League's ideals were "suspiciously similar" to those of Exodus International, a US fundamentalist Christian ministry actively involved in reforming homosexuals.

Lung says Liberty League is secular and not against gays, bisexuals and transgender people, but he draws the line at men having sex with men.

"It is a biological impossibility. It is impossible for two people of the same gender to consummate physical relationship," he insisted.

Despite greater tolerance for gays in recent years Singapore has refused to rescind an old law making consensual sex between men a crime.

"Singapore is basically a conservative society. The family is the basic building block of this society. It has been so and by policy we have reinforced this and we want to keep it so," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told parliament in 2007.

"By 'family' in Singapore, we mean one man one woman, marrying, having children and bringing up children within that framework of a stable family unit."

Lung says Liberty League only caters to people who seek help.

"We're not here to go and convert people, we're not here to say 'oh you must not do this and do that,'" he said.

"Some people who want to continue with the lifestyle, that's fine with us. Some people who don't want to, I think that there should be opportunities for them to explore the other option."

Liberty League conducts weekly group sessions where participants speak about their sexual preferences and dilemmas, said Lung. It can also refer participants to professional counsellors.

Group members typically consist of people attracted to others of the same gender, but those grappling with other problems such as sex addiction are also allowed to take part, he said.

"We find that this has been very, very helpful in opening up people's minds," Lung said.

"So often when people come, they think, oh this is a male issue, this is a female issue, but when they hear different perspectives then they come to understand actually it's a very universal thing."

Lung refused to reveal client numbers, but said "there's more than enough to keep us occupied and busy."

Related Article:

About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channeled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.”

North Korea bends it like Beckham in UK film first

BBC News, 30 December 2010

North Korea's state-run television has broadcast British film Bend It Like Beckham.

The 2002 film starred Keira Knightley (L) and Parminder Nagra

In a tweet, the UK Ambassador to South Korea, Martin Uden, said it was the "1st ever Western-made film to air on TV" in North Korea.

Originally released in the UK in 2002, the film was broadcast across North Korea on 26 December.

Although the original is 112 minutes long, the version broadcast was cut to 104 minutes, suggesting some editing.

It was a rare treat for North Koreans whose state television normally broadcasts animations, hagiographies of its leaders and images celebrating the country's army, model farms and model villages.

Mr Uden said the broadcast had been arranged by the British embassy.

During the film, a message was broadcast saying that it was being shown to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between North Korea and the UK.

It was reportedly the first time that North Korea has observed such a diplomatic anniversary by showing a film from that country.

Bend It Like Beckham features a sport beloved among North Koreans, but it also depicts some taboo topics - like interracial relationships, homosexuality and religion.

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Malaysia wins ASEAN Suzuki Cup

RNW, 29 December 2010

Malaysia won its first ASEAN Suzuki Cup Wednesday by beating Indonesia with an aggregate score of 4-2 for the first and second legs of the Southeast Asian championships final.

Malaysia wins ASEAN Suzuki Cup

In the final's second leg, held in Jakarta's Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia beat Malaysia 2-1 in a match attended by Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

However, the score was not enough to overcome Indonesia's 3-0 defeat to Malaysia in the first leg at the national stadium in Kuala Lumpur last Wednesday.

Malaysia's Mohammad Safee Bin Mohammad Sali, the top scorer during the 2010 championships ASEAN Suzuki Cup, formerly known as the Tiger Cup, scored the first goal in the 53rd minute.

Indonesia levelled the score in the 71st minute with a goal by Mohammad Nasuha and Mohammad Ridwan took the home country into the lead with a second goal in the 87th minute.

Losing the ASEAN Suzuki Cup tournament was a bitter pill for Indonesia to swallow after beating Malaysia 5-1 in a qualification match earlier this month.

Last week's first leg was marred by incidents in which fans aimed laser beams at Indonesian players during the game.

Disappointment face: Indonesian supporters react during the final first leg soccer match of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 between Malaysian and Indonesia at Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday. Malaysia beat Indonesia 3-0. (AP/Lai Seng Sin)

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China issues first anti-corruption white paper, pledging firmer actions

English.news.cn 2010-12-29

Full text: China's Efforts to Combat Corruption and Build a Clean Government

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- China Wednesday released its first ever white paper on the nation's anti-graft efforts, expressing its resolve to strengthen the fight against corruption.

The document, titled China's Efforts to Combat Corruption and Build a Clean Government, was issued by the Information Office of the State Council, or Cabinet.

Ren Jianming, director of the Anti-Corruption and Governance Research Center at Tsinghua University, said corruption is a sensitive issue, and the white paper shows "China has a more open and cooperative attitude toward the problem."

The report will help eliminate bias and misunderstanding about China's anti-graft battle as it details both achievements and problems, said He Zengke, a researcher at the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau, a prominent research institute on Marxism and Chinese policies.

"It will help people develop a correct, objective and comprehensive understanding of China," he said.

China's efforts to combat corruption and build a clean government have been managed systematically and promoted comprehensively and "achieved results," the report said.

From 2003 to 2009, prosecutors at all levels investigated more than 240,000 cases of embezzlement, bribery, dereliction of duty, and rights infringement, according to the report.

From January to November, the Party's discipline watchdogs investigated 119,000 graft cases, resulting in 113,000 people being punished, of whom 4,332 were prosecuted, said Wu Yuliang, secretary general of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of Communist Party of China (CPC), at a press conference Wednesday.

From 2005 until 2009, over 69,200 cases of commercial bribery -- involving some 16.59 billion yuan in funds -- were investigated, it said.

In 2009, some 7,036 officials were held responsible for serious mistakes, breach of duty, and failing to manage and supervise subordinates, the report said.

The report quoted a National Bureau of Statistics survey as saying that 83.8 percent of Chinese thought corruption was reduced to some extent in 2010, which was up from 68.1 percent in 2003.

The document warned that the task of curbing corruption remains arduous.

China has undergone dramatic economic and social change, and the ideas and concepts of the people have altered, leading to increased social conflict, the report said.

"Since the relevant mechanisms and systems are still incomplete, corruption persists, some cases even involving huge sums of money," the report said. "Breaches of law and discipline tend to be more covert, intelligent and complicated."

The CPC and the government understand the "long-haul, complicated and arduous" nature of the antigraft mission, the report said.

"They will resolutely punish and effectively prevent corruption with more resolutions and powerful measures," the report said.

The report introduces the principles, working mechanisms and legal framework for China's antigraft system. It also sets out the progress made in combating corruption and international anti-graft cooperation.

Despite the achievements made, more work has to be done to meet the people's expectation for anti-graft efforts, especially with improving the transparency of decision making, He said.

Many difficulties and problems facing the anti-graft work will be solved through the reform of the systems, he said.

PUBLIC SUPERVISION

"In China, the channel is unimpeded for citizens to be involved in the combat against corruption by means of impeaching and lodging lawsuit," the report said.

China's governments have departments to handle letters and calls of complaints and suggestions from the people.

In addition, discipline inspection organs of the CPC, procuratorates, and government supervisory and audit departments have all established tip-off systems with hotlines and websites.

The report also noted that the Internet has become a new form of supervision by the public.

"China highly values the positive role played by the Internet in enhancing supervision," the report said.

The country has worked hard to collect, research and manage the anti-graft information it has obtained from the Internet, it said.

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S Korean unification minister encourages Pyongyang to open up

English.news.cn 2010-12-29

SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's Unification Ministry called Wednesday on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ( DPRK) to follow in China's footsteps in opening up the country to the outside world.

"It's not that we are trying to force North Korea (DPRK) to open up itself. But we do believe it would be highly desirable if the North could achieve development by adopting the Chinese model, " Hyun In-taek, Seoul's point man on inter-Korean affairs, told reporters in a briefing on its major policy goals for 2011.

"In that sense, we believe it'll be better not only for us but also for North Korea's future if the North opts for (policies benefiting) North Koreans instead of those aimed at beefing up its military forces only," the minister added.

His remarks came as the South Korean government hints at a potential shift in its hard-line policies toward Pyongyang, with President Lee Myung-bak voicing support for dialogue and resumption of long-stalled talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear program.

Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang hit the lowest ebb this year following the alleged torpedo attack on a South Korean warship in March by DPRK and the artillery fire exchange between South Korea and DPRK near Yongpyong Island on Nov. 23, which resulted in the death of four South Korean citizens.

Some interpreted the government's apparent about-face as a sign that it is practically seeking reunification through absorption -- a charge that prompted both Lee and Hyun to reiterate their support for "peaceful reunification" in the long term.

"I think we obviously need (inter-Korean) dialogue," Hyun said in the briefing. "But the dialogue should be a very constructive one and one that addresses core pending "issues in inter-Korean relations.

The Lee administration cut a free flow of aid to the DPRK as Lee, a conservative, reversed a decade of liberal engagement policies of his two predecessors as he took office in 2008.

Prior to the exchanged artillery fire in November, Seoul resumed the first government-financed rice aid to a flood-hit DPRK city in what many said was a symbolic gesture at reconciliation.

Editor: Wang Guanqun

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India Citibank employee 'steals millions of dollars'

BBC News, 29 December 2010

A Citibank employee in India has been accused of fraudulently stealing millions of dollars from wealthy individual and corporate clients.

The alleged fraud was discovered earlier this month in a branch of the global bank in Gurgaon, a wealthy suburb of the Indian capital, Delhi.

The employee solicited investment in a fictitious scheme, promising high returns in a short time, the bank said.

Police say the wanted staff member has now gone missing.

Earlier he was suspended after a complaint was lodged by the bank with the police.

"We recently initiated an investigation into a certain set of suspicious transactions based on documents forged by an employee involving a few accounts in our Gurgaon branch," Citibank said in a statement.

"We immediately reported the matter to all the relevant law enforcement authorities.

"We are providing full assistance to the authorities in their investigations. This issue does not impact other accounts, transactions or customers of the bank," the statement added.

Although the bank officials declined to say how much money could be involved, reports said it could be anywhere between $44.32m (£28.8m) and $88.64m (£57.6m).

A senior police officer investigating the case said that 18 accounts had been frozen, which had been opened using four different names.

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MPs file 'no co-operation' motion against Kuwait ruler

BBC News, 28 December 2010

Related stories

• Kuwait MPs accuse PM over clash
• Kuwaiti PM agrees to questioning
• Does Kuwait need a political revamp?

Opposition MPs in Kuwait have filed a motion of "no co-operation" against the prime minister, in a bid to force him from office.

Sheikh Nasser faced questioning over his response
to protests last month

The motion against Prime Minister Sheik Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah will be voted on 5 January, the speaker said.

The move comes after a meeting where opposition lawmakers questioned his response to a recent public rally.

At least five people were injured when security forces used batons against MPs and their supporters on 8 December.

The government said the public gathering was not authorised.

'Eight hour questioning'

Opposition lawmakers need a majority of the 50-seat parliament to pass the motion against Sheikh Nasser, who is a member of Kuwait's royal family.

If passed, the matter would then be referred to the emir of the oil-rich Gulf state, who would decide whether to sack the prime minister or dissolve the parliament and call for new elections.

Earlier on Tuesday, MPs spent eight hours questioning Sheikh Nasser about the recent protests, claiming that he breached the constitution and supressed freedoms.

Sheikh Nasser, a nephew of the emir, has been under constant political pressure ever since he became prime minister in February 2006.

Since then, the cabinet has resigned five times and the ruler has dissolved parliament three times.

Kuwait was the first Arab state in the Gulf to usher in parliamentary democracy.

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Suspicious acts before 7.3 Christmas quake terrorizes Vanuatu people

examiner.com, December 25th, 2010 3:19 pm ET

Only several weeks before the 7.3 earthquake hit the South Pacific Island, Vanuatu on Christmas Day, terrorizing locals, all of its seismic monitoring equipment had been stolen, leaving no way to monitor earthquakes in the vicinity of the Port Vila city, no means to warn of tsunami triggers, and less means to determine if the U.S. military is to blame due to testing environmental warfare technology.

Vanuatu earthquake: The earthquake location map on
Dec. 25 at 13:16 UTC time, or 8:15am EST. (USGS.gov)

The criminal act of stealing the equipment is suspicious in lieu of military Weapons of Mass Destruction that can trigger or cause what appears to be "natural disasters" for geopolitical gain. (See: What are environment modification techniques and environmental warfare? Human Rights info 101, Dupré, D., Examiner, Dec. 6, 2009 and Global warming and intellectual climate change crisis: Myths, military and WMDs, Examiner, Dec. 14, 2009)

The Christmas 7.3 magnitude quake hit the Least Developing Country, Vanuatu just after midnight on December 25. It struck about 140 miles (225 kilometers) south of Vanuatu's capital, Port Vila and near Tana Island according to Associated Press. The quake was unusually shallow, only 15 miles below the ocean floor.

On November 9, over vt 1 million dollars worth of earthquake prediction and monitoring equipment was stolen from Vanuatu's Meteorological and Geohazards Department station at Devils Point on Efaté Island according to the nation's newspaper, the Vanuatu Daily Post in its article, Over Vt1 million worth earthquake equipment stolen again.

The criminal act is reported as professionally executed, unlike most reported crimes in the Third World nation where developed nation weapons such as guns are highly atypical. Among the world's hungry, Ni-Vanuatu people live on less than a dollar a day and use spears and hand-made weapons for food gathering. "Professional" criminal acts are also atypical.

The Vanuatu Daily Post reported that Acting Director, Ms Patricia Mawa said the equipment was stolen around 8:30 a.m. by "thieves that seemed to be familiar with the seismic monitoring devices and telemetry system." The apparent insiders "cut the fence wire, and carefully dismantled the instruments."

"These vital equipment included: one Solar Panel – 80 Watts (as sold by Pacific Power at Fresh Water); a VLF – (Very Low Frequency) Receiving/ Transmitting System, and the cables."

“Without these stations, the people of Vanuatu will no longer be able to get accurate information and timely warnings during events of earthquakes and tsunamis."

On October 1, vital equipment was stolen at one of the other two stations in the Efate Seismic Network, the station at Klem’s Hill, according to the Acting Director.

The center stated, "There is apparently no tsunami threat to Hawaii, but 'some coastal areas in Hawaii could experience small non-destructive sea level changes and strong or unusual currents lasting up to several hours" and "sea level changes are expected around 10:51am HST."

God or ENMOD?

Many people attribute the surge in earthquakes and other "natural disasters" to God's work. Others recognize that these disasters can be attributed to military technology applied in a war against the world.

The term, "Environmental modification techniques" refers to any technique for changing - through the deliberate manipulation of natural processes - the dynamics, composition or structure of the Earth, including its biota, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere, or of outer space. (Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques, United Nations, Geneva: 18 May 1977)

"Environmental warfare" is defined as the intentional modification or manipulation of the natural ecology, such as climate and weather, earth systems such as the ionosphere, magnetosphere, tectonic plate system, and/or the triggering of seismic events (earthquakes) to cause intentional physical, economic, and psycho-social, and physical destruction to an intended target geophysical or population location, as part of strategic or tactical war." (Eco News)

Michel Chossudovsky has reported about military manipulations of the environment in his article, Excluded from the Copenhagen Agenda: Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD) and Climate Change - The manipulation of climate for military use:

"The possibility of climatic or environmental manipulations as part of a military agenda, while formally acknowledged by official government documents and the US military, has never been considered relevant to the Climate debate. Military analysts are mute on the subject. Meteorologists are not investigating the matter, and environmentalists are strung on global warming and the Kyoto protocol." (Chossudovsky, M., Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD) and Climate Change, Global Research, December 5, 2009; Also see D. Dupre, A gory truth about climate change mind control, Examiner, December 6, 2009)

Wayne Hall reports on Rense.com, that "there remains the task of breaching the secrecy that surrounds the subject. Given that the ecological organizations are clearly not going to do this, we must initiate discussions with them to decide who should be assigned the task. Who is going to bell the cat?" (Hall, W. Chemtrail Secrets: Strategies Against Climate Change?, Rense.com, January 2004)

Vanuatu's stretch of small islands is north of Fiji, south of the Solomon Islands and about 1,200 miles from the coastal Australian city of Brisbane. It is in the archipelago called the “Pacific Ring of Fire” where a large amount of volcanic and seismic activity occur, perfect military testing ground for new weapons of mass destruction.

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Alcatel to pay over $137 million to settle bribery case

Reuters, Tue, WASHINGTON | Mon Dec 27, 2010

(Reuters) - Alcatel Lucent SA has agreed to pay more than $137 million to settle U.S. charges that it paid millions of dollars in bribes to foreign officials to win business in Latin America and Asia, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Monday.

Alcatel agreed to pay more than $45 million to settle the SEC's charges and another $92 million to settle criminal bribery charges from the U.S. Justice Department.

(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky and Karey Wutkowski, editing by Gunna Dickson)

Bombay Stock Exchange launches Islamic index

BBC News, 27 December 2010

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in the Indian city of Mumbai has launched a new index which consists of companies that meet the Islamic legal code.

Backers say that the index would "unlock the
potential for Sharia investments in India".

The Tasis Shariah 50 was formed using guidelines from an Indian Shariah advisory board.

Studies have found that most Muslims in India are excluded from the country's formal financial sector.

That is because Islamic law does not allow investment in companies that sell goods like alcohol, tobacco or weapons.

Neither does it allow investment in companies that derive significant profit from interest.

The index is intended to be the basis for other Shariah-compliant financial products.

'Come and invest'

BSE Managing Director and Chief Executive Madhu Kannan said that the new index would attract Islamic and other "socially responsible" investors both in India and overseas.

"This index will create increased awareness of financial investments among the masses and help enhance financial inclusion," he said in a statement.

Companies included in the index have been screened by Tasis, which is based in Mumbai and whose board members include Islamic scholars and legal experts.

"Before anyone can attract investors, we need to put in place institutional infrastructure, and having an index to track Shariah-compliant stock is important," MH Khatkhatay, senior adviser to Tasis, told the Reuters news agency.

"If you have an ETF (exchange traded fund), for example, you need an index, or if overseas investors want to invest in Shariah index in India, this is an invitation for people to come and invest."

Tasis said the index would "unlock the potential for Sharia investments in India".

"The BSE has the largest number of listed Sharia-compliant stocks in the world," said Shariq Nisar, director of research and operations at Tasis.

"All Muslim countries of the Middle East and Pakistan put together do not have as many listed Sharia-complaint stocks as are available on the BSE."

Stocks will be reviewed every month to ensure they continue to meet the criteria - any which do not will be removed, officials say.

More needy people receive help from China's social security network

English.news.cn 2010-12-27

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- More people enduring poor living conditions have been covered by China's social security system, according to the country's Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Various figures disclosed during a national working conference held Monday by the Ministry in Beijing showed that as of November, about 75 million people had been provided with minimum living allowances, an increase of 5.4 percent from the same period of last year.

In terms of medical services, 8.58 billion yuan (about 1.3 billion U.S. dollar) were spent in to aid nearly 60 million people in need in the first nine months of the year, up 28 percent than the same period last year.

In addition, over one million vagrants and beggars with no means of support in cities had been receiving help as of December 2010.

Also, the Ministry has set up aid centers for homeless juveniles in 40 counties and cities with 30 million yuan of the proceeds from the welfare lottery.

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KPK to cooperate with Vietnam`s anti-graft body

Antara News, Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam`s General Inspectorate (GI) for exchange of expertise in corruption eradication.

"An MOU has been signed with GI Vietnam. This is like `the Vietnamese KPK`," KPK spokesman Johan Budi said here on Monday.

He said GI Vietnam had invited KPK to cooperate because it wished to learn from KPK ways to supress corruption in the country.

"They wish to learn from KPK such as about LHKPN (state official wealth reports) for example," he said.

KPK meanwhile, he said, would also learn from Vietnam on how GI coordinates and supervises jointly with other legal entities.

What is interesting about GI Vietnam is its function of supervision and coordination with other government agencies, he said adding GI could punish agencies that did not heed its recommendations.

"That is what the KPK cannot do because it is not provided for in the law on KPK. So the law must be changed if we want to be like GI," Johan said.

Asked if KPK would ask for a change in the law so that it would have the same power as GI Vietnam, Johan said "Not yet. It has to be studied first."

The signing of the MoU took place in Hanoi last week with the KPK represented by deputy for enforcement Chandra M Hamzah.

India's city-dwellers get angrier as society changes

RNW, 26 December 2010

With its religious retreats for meditation and yoga, India has long been sought out by Western visitors eager to escape the rat race and return home better prepared to face life's challenges.

India's city-dwellers get angrier as society changes

Big cities like New Delhi and Mumbai, however, are becoming anything but havens of spiritual calm and inner peace for ordinary Indians, as the country's economy grows and more people leave the rural heartlands in search of prosperity.

Anger has become a feature of daily life, with concerns raised about the harmful side-effects of modern, urban living on the nation's health and well-being.

"There's so much anger. It's everywhere," Yusuf Matcheswalla, a leading Mumbai psychiatrist, told AFP.

"There's anger on the roads, anger in the schools, anger in the workplace, anger in the house, anger in parliament with the politicians... Everyone we meet is getting angry."

Matcheswalla, who runs counselling centres in India's financial capital, said he and colleagues have seen a steady rise in patients coming to them with anger-related issues.

It's not hard to see why tempers might flare in an overcrowded city like Mumbai, where the demands of an estimated 18 million inhabitants stretch outdated infrastructure and the supply of basic services to breaking point.

Badly-maintained, potholed roads are regularly gridlocked, making even the shortest trip a lengthy ordeal of honking horns and choking exhaust fumes from crawling or stationary traffic.

Local trains, which are the fastest and cheapest way to avoid the jams, often carry more than three times their official capacity.

Electricity and water shortages are commonplace, while construction work and ear-splitting celebrations for India's many religious festivals add to high levels of noise pollution.

Urban India is changing fast, with technological innovations and a burgeoning consumer culture catering to a growing middle class with more disposable income, widening the gap between haves and have-nots.

Newer working patterns are also emerging, including more women going to work, and a decline in couples living in the traditional joint family structure, removing support networks and adding childcare pressures.

"When you work in a city like Mumbai you're always very stressed. You get frustrated and angry and lose patience very quickly," said Aryan, a 24-year-old professional.

Matcheswalla says such feelings are common, with the "work hard, play harder" culture in India's "Maximum City" and elsewhere -- plus the often bewildering array of choices in the new consumer economy not helping matters.

A build-up of daily frustrations and the increased use of caffeine, tobacco, alcohol or recreational drugs to cope or unwind are leaving a generation unable to relax and more likely to see red, he added.

"We're not able to deal with any minor provocation. There's a big backlash and micropsychotic episodes. They lose touch with reality and don't see the consequences," he said.

A young girl was recently thrown out of a Mumbai train after an argument over sharing a seat, while "road rage" incidents are regularly documented in India's media.

Doctors point to urban living for the increase in lifestyle diseases in India, including heart disease, which is now the country's number one killer.

Prolonged stress, a rise in smoking, lack of exercise and a diet of high-fat, Western-style junk food often bought as a sign of wealth and status are blamed.

"It's a combination of everything," said Ramakanta Panda, a leading cardiologist from the prestigious Asian Heart Institute in Mumbai, who in 2009 performed bypass surgery on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"Research has found higher incidences of heart problems in urban areas compared with rural areas and when people from rural areas migrate, again the incidences go up."

Vikram Kalloo is a life coach who runs well-being classes for strung-out city executives and their staff on how to recognise and handle stress, achieve a better work-life balance and deal with anger.

"The crux of it is awareness," he said. "Many people are not willing to accept it. Either they are not well informed or in a state of denial about it."

Kalloo said modern, urban India seemed to be forgetting its traditional, spiritual roots.

"People are running but where are they heading? It's maybe just a stage, like growing pains," he said.

But he said India's authorities needed to address the lack of open spaces in cities while the corporate firms that are driving the country's economic growth had to become more aware of their employees' well-being.

"Stress is growing exponentially. People are getting stressed out, frustrated," he added.

"People say it's part of Western living. But at least in the Western world you have great infrastructure: you have parks, beaches and other public places, a better work-life balance, your own space, which is not the case here.

"Here it's money, money, money."

Aryan, at least, says he has calmed down and regained a perspective through yoga, meditation and concentrating on enjoying the smaller things in life.

"I've learnt how to deal with anger... If it's required then fine but now I think, 'what's the point?'," he said.

Israeli FM vows no apology to Turkey on raid

RNW, 26 December 2010

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman vowed on Sunday that Israel would not apologise to Turkey for a commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship that killed nine Turkish activists.

Speaking in Jerusalem at a meeting of Israel's ambassadors, Lieberman said Ankara's demand for an apology before normalising relations between the former allies was "a cheek".

"The ones who have to apologise are the government of Turkey for supporting terror," he said.

People gather to welcome home the Mavi Marmara, the flagship of the ill-fated Gaza flotilla attacked by Israel this summer, in Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 26, 2010. The Mavi Marmara departed from Turkey in May to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aids. On May 31, Israel raided the ship in international waters before it could reach its destination and killed nine activists aboard. (Xinhua/Chen Ming)

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"2010 in Review" - Dec 11, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll)

"The End of History" – Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Muhammad, Jesus, God, Jews, Arabs, EU, Euro Currency, US, Israel, Iran, Russia, Africa, South America, Global Unity,..... etc.)

(Live Kryon Channelings was given 7 times within the United Nations building.)