Ahmadinejad: Israel's attempts to 'Judaize' Jerusalem will bring about its end

Israeli attempts to "Judaize" Jerusalem will bring about its end, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday, saying Israel's occupation of Palestinian land was the most important topic in the world.

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	Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaking to his supporters in Ilam southwest of Tehran, December 28, 2011.
	Photo by: Reuters

Speaking to a delegation to the Turkish-Palestinian Parliamentary Friendship Group, Ahmadinejad was quoted by Iranian state television that the "Zionists, who have no faith in religion or even God, now claim piety and intend to take away the Islamic identity of the Holy Quds."

"This ridiculous move is in fact the continuation of the colonialist polices of oppressors, which will not save the Zionist regime, but also take the regime closer to the endpoint of its existence,? the Iranian president added.

Speaking of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Ahmadinejad was quoted by Iran's official news agency Iran as saying that the "issue of Palestine is the main issue in the region and the whole world and nobody can ignore it."

Iran has been embroiled in a standoff with the west over its contentious nuclear program, which Israel and the United States claim has military aspects.

Most recently, Iran and the United States have been involved in a heated verbal spat over an Iranian threat to close off the Straits of Hormuz ? a waterway crucial to the distribution of Persian Gulf crude oil supplies ? if the West sanctions its oil sector.

Earlier Tuesday, American officials rejected an Iranian demand that its naval vessels leave the Gulf, indicating that the threat itself was an indication that economic sanctions on Iran were beginning to take a toll on the Islamic Republic.

"These are regularly scheduled movements and in accordance with our long-standing commitments to the security and stability of the region and in support of ongoing operations," Commander Bill Speaks said in an emailed response to Reuters questions.

"The U.S. Navy operates under international maritime conventions to maintain a constant state of high vigilance in order to ensure the continued, safe flow of maritime traffic in waterways critical to global commerce," he said.

When asked later Tuesday if the U.S. intends to send naval reinforcements to the Gulf in response to Iranian talk of closing the Strait of Hormuz, Pentagon spokesperson George Little did not answer directly but said, "No one in this government seeks confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz. It's important to lower the temperature."

Also referring to Iranian threats on Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the U.S. saw "these threats from Tehran as just increasing evidence that the international pressure is beginning to bite."

"They are feeling increasingly isolated and they are trying to divert the attention of their own public from the difficulties inside Iran, including the economic difficulties as a result of sanctions," Nuland told a news briefing.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/haaretz/LBao/~3/uEr6NHNGiuk/story01.htm

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Cricket-Petersen and Kallis steady South Africa

By Ken Borland

CAPE TOWN | Tue Jan 3, 2012 11:17am GMT

CAPE TOWN Jan 3 (Reuters) - Alviro Petersen hit an unbeaten half-century on his return to the South Africa side as the hosts reached 135 for two at lunch on the first day of the third and decisive test against Sri Lanka at Newlands on Tuesday.

South Africa, sent in to bat, had slipped to 56 for two before Petersen, playing in his first test since last January's Newlands encounter against India, and leading all-time run-scorer Jacques Kallis, playing in his 150th test, added 79 in just 14 overs to revive the innings.

Opening batsman Petersen breezed to 54 not out off 80 balls at lunch, moving his feet beautifully and stroking six fours and a hooked six off seamer Dhammika Prasad.

Kallis was on 47 not out at the break, having faced just 37 deliveries and hammered eight fours.

Prasad struck twice in the first hour, keeping to a tight line and removing both Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla for 16.

Prasad, brought into the Sri Lanka side for the first time in the series to replace the injured Dilhara Fernando, got a wicket with his first ball as the left-handed Smith chopped a delivery that was angling across him back into his stumps.

Smith had looked in very good form, hitting three fours off left-armer Chanaka Welegedara in the previous over from the Wynberg End.

Amla then played across a straight delivery from Prasad to be trapped lbw.

Petersen and Kallis played extremely positively and dominated the Sri Lankan bowling thereafter, and were especially severe on medium-pacer Thisara Perera, who conceded 45 runs in his six overs.

South Africa decided to recall Petersen in a shuffling of their batting line-up, with Jacques Rudolph moving down to number six and Ashwell Prince being dropped. Pace bowler Vernon Philander also returned after injury, replacing Marchant de Lange.

Sri Lanka also brought in opening batsman Lahiru Thirimanne in place of Tharanga Paranavitana.

Sri Lanka won last week's second test in Durban by 208 runs to level the series at 1-1.

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/UKCricketNews/~3/IwqUgeoIwPA/cricket-lanka-lunch-idUKL3E8C35J120120103

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The World?s Best Holiday Building of 2011 Welcomes 2012 // The RAAS Hotel in Jodhpur, India

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Keeping with tradition, the Yatzer family welcomes a New Year with the breathtaking beauty and artistic wonder we have become known for sharing. We couldn?t think of a better example of the two than the RAAS Hotel in Jodhpur, India, member of Design Hotels? and the World?s Best Holiday Building of 2011 according to the 2011 WAF | World Architecture Festival Awards.

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Here, we find ourselves in a colorful corner of the world, an inherently exotic country known for its spices, colors, fabrics, and scents. The Walled City of Jodhpur has a rich history where the ''rose red'' sandstone makes up most of the buildings. The Mehrangarh?s Victory Palace and Gate commands attention as it sits atop the center of the city. Completed in the 17th century and surrounded by a large protective wall, this majestic fort was built to protect the historic palaces of Rajasthan. At the foot of the Mehrangarh Fort (rated as ''Asia?s Best Fortress by Time Magazine in 2008''), you will find the only luxury boutique hotel in an Indian Walled City; the RAAS.

Where does one even begin to describe the understated elegance that has been captured at the RAAS Hotel? The architects behind this rare hotel complex are the Lotus Praxis Initiative based in India. Their talent knows no bounds as exemplified in their approach to designing the four original standing buildings together with three modern ones (all built in the sultry red sandstone) whilst maintaining an organic earthiness throughout the property. This natural feel is a nice opposition to the luxury that abounds and works to ground the hotel avoiding a ''stuffy'' or snobby aspect. The architects allowed the natural beauty of Jodhpur to lead them. One can see the story that The Lotus Praxis Initiative has put into the luxurious hideaway. The RAAS is a re creation of the city in which it stands with its body of water in the center, a square, an eclectic mix of styles both old and new and striking views of the Mehrangarh from each and every room just as each house within Jodhpur has a view of the fortress.? ''Its ground- breaking architecture seamlessly integrates a modern use of light and space with an eighteenth century Rajput haveli, offering the best in modern and traditional luxury. By marrying sensational vistas with a beautifully calm central garden oasis, the RAAS? all-pervasive warmth mirrors the city itself.''

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

The modern buildings? perimeter walls are perforated with rectangular slats that allow a checkerboard of light into the hallways while the sun is up. Playing with light is a modern characteristic executed well, and surprises you as you enter a modern building from an older one. In so many instances the tie between new and old is executed with such expertise and so seamlessly that it is in the details like the perforations in the walls, that truly make you step back and admire the thought that was put in behind the scenes. ?Jodhpur?s red sand-stone unites the new with the old, even as modern designs and patterns in its dressing and carving add an exciting and fresh dimension to the region?s age-old stone carving industry. This seamless harmony between the modern and the traditional, the familiar and the surprising ? extend to all aspects of the RAAS; it is everywhere, at all times, as comforting as it is inspirational.?

Harmony as a theme is evident not only in the architecture, but in the landscaping, the vistas, the restaurants, and the overall tranquility the hotel has become known for. Warm and welcoming, many travel to the RAAS once a year like a pilgrimage for those who find relaxation to be their religion.

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

There are 32 spacious rooms and 7 delicious suites that each has its own sitting area (separate from the bedroom) that sit below sprawling arches, large balconies and very large bathrooms. There are 35 rooms with views of the Mehrangarh and the remaining four have views of private gardens that overlook the older restored buildings. All rooms are designed in a clean and modern manner and decorated with great attention to detail including high-end designer furniture and fixtures. The d?cor is modern and eclectic with reference to the rich colors Jodhpur, The BLUE city which is known for (pink/sandstone, blue/''Jodhpur blue'' blue washed homes, black/ terrazzo).? One look at the rooms and it is easy to imagine yourself like a swan diving into the large bed or relaxing in the sitting rooms in a soft white robe after an Ayuverdic treatment at the spa. A barefoot walk through the enchanting grounds would be enough to both ground you and take your mind to faraway places. It is almost magical, as if the air within the walls of the RAAS is intoxicating, there is a raw emotion that is shared and everyone is at peace.

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

In addition to a spa that leans towards Ayuverdic treatments, there are two restaurants; one that is indoors, the other is outdoors, a chic caf? by the gorgeous pool area.? The RAAS is Jodhpur?s gem, a prestigious boutique hotel nestled into the foothills of the Mehrangarh, a layering of natural beauty and manmade beauty, the epitome of Rajasthan culture. As Yatzer enters its fifth year, we are grateful for both the opportunity and the challenge to keep on taking your breath away.?

The RAAS hotel is only the beginning of 2012...

Happy New Year!

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

Image Courtesy of RAAS, Jodhpur

sources:

RAAS Hotel, Jodhpur, India, Design Hotels, V2com

Source: http://www.yatzer.com/RAAS-Hotel-Jodhpur-India-yatzer

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Bachmann plays gender card as Iowa GOP vote nears (AP)

DES MOINES, Iowa ? Desperate for a late lift in Iowa, Republican Michele Bachmann is increasingly stressing a distinction in the presidential field: She's the only woman competing for the nomination.

The Minnesota congresswoman has made the gender card central to her closing argument. She's urging voters to embrace the idea of a "strong woman in the White House" and is molding herself as "America's Iron Lady" in the vein of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

It's a play that carries as much risk as potential reward because some of the ardent religious conservatives she's aggressively courting have traditional views about gender roles.

History is not on Bachmann's side, either. Iowa has never elected a woman as governor or to its congressional delegation, a footnote shared only with Mississippi.

It was only a few years ago when GOP presidential nominee John McCain energized his campaign by putting Sarah Palin on the ticket, inspiring a hot pink-shirted army of voters the folksy former Alaska governor affectionately coined "mamma grizzlies." Palin opted out of the 2012 race and so far isn't pushing her followers in any direction.

Bachmann seldom underscored gender early in her campaign. She would sprinkle in mentions of motherhood and even shared an emotional story about how a miscarriage fortified her anti-abortion views. But she was mostly content letting voters notice the obvious difference on their own as she stood on debate stages surrounded by a bunch of men.

But as Bachmann darted around Iowa in the hectic days before Tuesday's caucuses, she hit the woman theme hard.

"I'm an Iowa girl. And one thing I remember about Iowa is we are a state of strong women," Bachmann told the lunch crowd at a 50s-themed burger joint in Mount Ayr. "We need a strong woman to turn this country around, right?"

Longtime residents Margaret Bickers and Mary Davenport, sitting in a booth near Bachmann, nodded in agreement.

"Women are just more passionate than the men," Bickers told a reporter. "We need a woman who is not afraid to vocalize that passion and effect change."

"It takes a woman to get things done," Davenport chimed in. Both said they were inclined to caucus for Bachmann.

Bachmann dispenses warm hugs as readily as simple handshakes. She'll sometimes run her hand along another woman's back during conversations, extended contact her male challengers tend to avoid.

When a 90-year-old woman shared that she was a mother of 12, Bachmann crouched by her side to hear more. "What a blessing," the candidate said.

It gave Bachmann an opening to share a favorite biographical detail, that she's a mother of five and foster parent to 23 more. While conveying her philosophy of government cost-cutting, she often tries to connect with fellow women by describing herself as the family coupon clipper who frequents consignment shops for clothes.

Tamara Scott, who runs the Iowa chapter of Concerned Women for America, tagged along on Bachmann's recent 99-county tour and served as the warm-up act during several stops. Scott highlighted Bachmann's role as a mother to many as evidence of compassion but also stressed the congresswoman's give-no-ground debate performances as proof of her toughness.

"Gutsy has never been so gorgeous," Scott told one audience.

Still, Union County GOP chairwoman Yvonne Kinkade suspects Bachmann could have trouble breaking through in farm country because she's a woman.

"I've noticed that when her name is mentioned sometimes that there's a lot of men that wouldn't vote for a woman," said Kinkade, who counted herself among the undecided after visits by a few candidates this past week. "A lot of them are the head of the households in these farming communities."

Bachmann advisers say her recent reliance on the Thatcher comparison is meant in part to remind voters of a prominent woman on the world stage, particularly a staunch ally of Ronald Reagan. Plus, Bachmann just finished reading a Thatcher biography.

Bachmann's approach to the gender issue stands in contrast to Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton four years ago. Clinton largely played it down, favoring pantsuits over skirts and stressing instead her experience and resolve.

"I'm not running as a woman. I'm running because I think I'm the best qualified and experienced person for president," she often told campaign audiences.

When Clinton dropped out of the 2008 race, only then did she acknowledge the historic nature of her candidacy.

"Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it has about 18 million cracks in it and the light is shining through like never before," she said in her concession speech, referring to the 18 million votes she received during the primaries.

Bachmann looked primed to shatter Iowa's glass ceiling in August when she won the Iowa GOP's straw poll. But her standing tumbled soon after and she has struggled to recover that summer magic.

___

Associated Press writer Beth Fouhy contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120101/ap_on_el_pr/us_bachmann_gender_card

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Anti-racism group slams Liverpool's Suarez backing

Associated Press Sports

updated 12:14 p.m. ET Jan. 1, 2012

LONDON (AP) -Liverpool's global reputation is being sullied as the club maintains its backing of Luis Suarez despite his suspension for racially abusing an opponent, a campaign group against racism in football said on Sunday.

The Uruguay striker was banned for eight matches last month after being found guilty of racially insulting Manchester United's Patrice Evra during a league match at Anfield on Oct. 15.

Following the release of an independent panel's report into the incident, Liverpool is considering whether to launch an appeal but has been unwavering in its support of Suarez, with the whole squad wearing T-shirts with the player's face on them before a recent league match.

"We would call on the club to think again about their public campaign to dispute the charges and contest the principles involved in the case," said Piara Powar, executive director of Football Against Racism in Europe.

"As a club with a good international standing, the vehemence of their campaign is unquestionably causing them reputational harm."

Liverpool, which has until Jan. 13 to make an appeal, has previously questioned Evra's reliability but the 115-page judgment found the France defender was a "credible witness" and that Suarez's evidence was unreliable.

Suarez called Evra, who is a black player, "negro" seven times during the on-field confrontation, according to the report.

With racism in football a hot topic in Britain - England captain John Terry faces criminal charges over allegations of having directed a racial slur at an opponent in a separate incident - Powar believes the issue is finally being dealt with.

"It appears the FA have taken their time to initiate a process that was both fair in its implementation of football rules, and in accordance with the principles of British justice," Powar said.

"Racial abuse between players on the field of play has been an unspoken taboo for too long, an area that has been unsatisfactorily dealt with by English football despite many cases over the past 10 years."

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Divine Right (TIME)

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President: Cotton growing is of strategic importance to Turkmenistan

Dec. 30--ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan -- Cotton growing is a strategic sector of the domestic agricultural industry, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said at a governmental meeting, the official Turkmen source said.

"Cotton is not only the main raw material for the national textile industry, but also the most valuable export product," the President said, pointing to the need to continue expanding the geography of partnership in this area. The report on the status of seasonal agricultural work was presented.

"The state will continue focusing on the development of the agricultural sector with significant potential to achieve even higher levels and comprehensive measures in this direction," the President said.

The auction and negotiations were recently held in Ashgabat between exporters and consumers of Turkmen 'white gold'. The event was organised by the state concern Turkmenpagta, (Turkmencotton), the State Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange and the Chamber of Commerce of the country.

Turkmenistan has prepared more than 1 million 50,000 tons of raw cotton this year. Traditionally the country exports to China, Russia, Great Britain, South Korea, Turkey, Iran, Indonesia, Singapore, Ukraine and the Baltic countries.

The contractual obligations were over fulfilled in 2010. About 1 million 300,000 tons of cotton instead of the planned 1 million 50,000 tons were collected.

About 36 ginneries operate in the State Concern Turkmenpagta. Raw cotton is grown in five provinces of the country: Akhal, Mary, Lebap, Dashoguz and Balkan.

Upland cotton bearing a medium type is grown in all the country's regions and long staple cotton such as Pima, in the Akhal and Mary provinces. Cotton is sold through the Turkmen State Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange.

The heads and representatives of the international agency Cotton Outlook and the International Cotton Association (UK), the Cotton Association and the Chinese Exchange, the Russian cotton community, the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (Saudi Arabia) attended the international trade fair in Ashgabat.

Moreover, such companies as Central Cotton Company, Wakefield Inspection Services andSynder, ICT Cotton, Paul Reinhart AG, Jecot SA, Rezana Trading SA and ECOM Agroindustrial Corp., SGS Uzbekistan, CIFAL Group, Cottonex Anstalt, Dilosystems and Otto-Stadtlander GmbH, Mezhtrans Moldova, Maschio Gaspardo, SIGNALS-P, International Trading Company, O'ZINTERIMPEKS and Uzprommashimpeks, AgroBest Grup, Olam Imternational, Daewoo, TOYOSHIMA, Shandong Swan Cotton Industrial Machinery Stock Co., Xinjiang Yinlong Internasional Agricultural Cooperation Co., and SHANDONG HONGRUN GREASE CO., Avery Solution INK, Dneprkozhgalanteriya, Al Teks and LP-Tehnologii, Trading House Batson, Medteks, Kineshma cotton mill and Agrochem were represented.

Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az

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