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<title>Health RSS : Gourt</title>
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<dc:rights>Copyright 2007, Gourt.com</dc:rights>
<dc:date>2008-09-06T22:12+49:00
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12059342&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Somalia: Hunger and terror </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12059342&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[There has been no pause in the country&#8217;s relentless downward spiralIT HAS been a long, dreadful summer for Somalia. The UN says that 3.2m Somalis (out of about 8m) now need aid just to stay alive: a 77% rise on last year. A sixth of Somali infants are at risk of starving to death. Due to what aid organisations call &#8220;intolerable insecurity&#8221;, almost all international charity workers have left. Offshore, Somali pirates are as bold as ever. They are holding around ten vessels, including three large tankers with 130 crewmen captured this week.Foreign governments still wrangle over Africa&#8217;s worst humanitarian and political crisis. UN people working for a deal between Islamist insurgents and the weak Somali government want 8,000 peacekeeping troops to replace the few thousand beleaguered African Union and Ethiopian soldiers. But more senior people in the UN&#8217;s peacekeeping office, already failing to get enough troops into Darfur, rule that out. A multinational force would be the next best thing, but who would pay? Mooted Saudi cash has not materialised. ...]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12059310&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Kenya: When not imploding is not enough </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12059310&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Six months after its bloody election crisis, the country is still struggling to recoverIN THE past few weeks, Kenyans have been celebrating. They were delighted when their athletes came back from the Olympics in China with 14 medals, five of them gold, whereas South Africa, often the continent&#8217;s sporting giant, got just one silver. A buoyant president, Mwai Kibaki, handed bonus cheques to the medallists on their return. And then Kenyans had the pleasure, early one morning on television, of watching Barack Obama, the son of a Kenyan civil servant, accept the Democratic nomination to be president of the United States. But despite such good cheer it is evident that east Africa&#8217;s leading country has yet to recover fully from the post-election violence that ravaged it earlier in the year, when some 1,700 people were killed and 300,000 displaced. Its fragile coalition government is struggling to take the necessary decisions to tackle the country&#8217;s manifold problems. With Mr Kibaki as president and the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, as prime minister, the mere fact that their cumbrous joint administration has hung together is an achievement. But beyond that, six months into its existence, it has little else to celebrate.  ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12059318&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Israel: Come and have a good time </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12059318&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Israelis want foreigners to see their country in a new lightCOUNTRIES, like items in the supermarket, sell better with clever advertising. So Israel, long frustrated by its image as a country tarnished by danger and strife, wants to rebrand itself&#8212;as hip, cool, cultured, fun and creative.The initiative comes from Israeli diplomats and Jewish groups in America, whose research shows that even though Israel enjoys strong political support from Americans, its image is far too lean and mean. Asked to describe &#8220;Israel house&#8221;, one focus group imagined it as arid, all-male and surrounded by barbed wire. The concepts that first spring to mind in polls are conflict, desert and religious extremism. &#8220;We want people to know other things about us,&#8221; says a top Israeli involved in the scheme. &#8220;About our computer chips and health-care innovations.&#8221; ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12059326&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>The West Bank: The villagers hemmed in </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12059326&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Israelis' security barrier continues to threaten Palestinian livelihoodsTHE tear gas has dispersed but the dirt road leading out of the village of Nilin is still strewn with rocks and broken bottles. Strips of carton and carpets, which served as makeshift prayer mats during the clashes that took place the day before, are still spread beneath the olive trees. A Palestinian village of some 5,000 souls west of Ramallah, the Palestinian capital, Nilin is the West Bank&#8217;s latest hot spot. Nearby, on Palestinian land, are two Israeli settlements, Modin Illit and Hashmonaim. For the past four months, the people of Nilin, aided by Israeli and foreign campaigners, have been protesting against the barrier the Israelis are planning to build across their land. ...]]></description>
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<title>Ramadan: Time for tall tales on television </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12059334&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Muslim month of fasting allows for ever-juicier television fare at nightIN RAMADAN&#8217;s past, pious Muslims in the big cities of the Middle East waited, in the hush before sunset, for the sound of a cannon shot, followed by the cry of &#8220;Allahu Akbar!&#8221; from a nearby mosque, to break their day-long fast. Now, during the month-long fasting period, families tune instead to their televisions. As the broadcast call to prayer declares the start of another night of furious eating and alcohol-free drinking, so it heralds a visual feast. Satellite television has taken off in the region like nowhere else. In wealthy Gulf states, some 95% of households own digital receivers; even in poorer countries, such as Jordan and Morocco, the satellite penetration rate now tops 75%. Not surprisingly, the number of free-to-air channels available on Arab satellites has grown sixfold in the past five years, to more than 300. Those willing to pay subscription fees or to have a clever technician break encoded blockers can tune in to dozens more.  ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12009946&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Angola: Marching towards riches and democracy? </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12009946&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[An oil-rich country prepares to vote for the first time in 16 yearsAFTER recent election fiascos in Kenya and Zimbabwe, all eyes are on Angola. On September 5th, 8m-plus registered voters (in a population of some 17m) should cast their ballot to choose a new parliament. They have certainly had to wait for the privilege. Since independence from Portugal in 1975, Angola has had only one multi-party election, in 1992, and it led to a resumption of the horrific civil war that had ravaged the place since independence. The government has repeatedly promised and postponed fresh elections since the end of the conflict in 2002. Only now, it judges, is Angola finally ready.  Decades of war, first pitting Angolans against their Portuguese colonial masters and then against each other, destroyed and traumatised a country that is rich in oil, diamonds and fertile soil. The two sides in the civil war are still the main political parties that will contest these elections: the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the opposition National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). The latter, for many years a rebel movement, gave up arms after the death of its leader, Jonas Savimbi, in 2002. Now led by the articulate and urbane Isaias Samavuka, it has turned into a proper party. Though 14 groups are registered to contest the election, UNITA is still by far the largest opposition one. Incidents still occur in the oil-rich province of Cabinda, but a peace deal signed in 2006 has eased separatist tensions there.  ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12010155&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Zimbabwe: Unspeakably rude to the old man </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12010155&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The opposition scores a telling point IT WAS a humiliating week for Robert Mugabe. As the new parliament elected in March was convened for the first time, the chairman of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Lovemore Moyo, won the vote to become speaker, beating Mr Mugabe&#8217;s candidate. Then the veteran leader was booed and heckled during his speech, for the first time in his 28 years in power. Negotiations between the ruling ZANU-PF and the MDC are still suspended, after the two sides failed to agree on who should hold executive power. Mr Mugabe, not one to take humiliation well, looks set to harden his stance: prospects for an early deal look slim. But it was a rare and telling victory for the opposition.The Zimbabwean leader had violated ground rules, agreed on before the negotiations began, stipulating that the new parliament should not be convened, nor a new cabinet appointed, while negotiations were under way. Several MDC MPs have already been arrested, some as they were entering Parliament to be sworn in. Ahead of a regional meeting earlier this month, Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader, and his party&#8217;s secretary-general and chief negotiator were both detained at the airport and their passports confiscated en route to the meeting; they were allowed to continue on their way after South Africa&#8217;s President Thabo Mbeki, mandated by the region&#8217;s leaders to mediate in the talks, apparently intervened. ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12010165&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>The Gaza Strip: Ceasefire plus blockade </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12010165&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Though a ceasefire is more or less holding, Gaza is still under siegeDESPITE warnings by Israel&#8217;s government that it would stop two boatloads of pro-Palestinian campaigners from &#8220;breaking the siege of Gaza&#8221;, the ships, carrying some 40-plus enthusiasts, were eventually allowed to dock safely in Gaza&#8217;s main port on August 23rd and to disgorge a cargo of medicine, hearing-aids and other items that the local Palestinians have sorely lacked. But, though a ceasefire signed in June is more or less holding and there has been a slight increase in an inflow of humanitarian supplies, Gazans still feel they are virtually under siege. Since a year ago, when the Islamists of Hamas clobbered their secular rivals, Fatah, in the Strip, the Israelis have restricted the supply of necessities in a bid to make Hamas stop firing rockets at Israel and encourage Gaza&#8217;s Palestinians to turn against their new rulers. In June, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire. Since then, the flow of goods has increased, but not enough. The boat campaigners intended to publicise the Gazans&#8217; continuing plight.  ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12010111&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Nigeria: Master of his commanders </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12010111&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The president shows who&#8217;s bossGIVEN Nigeria&#8217;s long record of military coups, President Umaru Yar&#8217;Adua&#8217;s dismissal of his top military commanders last week might have looked a bit risky&#8212;suicidal, even. And, indeed, there were rumours of rebellion in the air. But the fact that Mr Yar&#8217;Adua not only removed the officers but calmly left the country immediately afterwards for a pilgrimage to Mecca speaks of a growing confidence among Nigerians that the bad old days of military intervention have finally been laid to rest. Until recently Africa had a deserved reputation for violent military takeovers, and Nigeria was no exception. Half a dozen coups took place in the three decades or so from 1966 until elections restored civilian rule in 1999. Even then the new president, Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr Yar&#8217;Adua&#8217;s predecessor, was a former general who had previously run the country as head of a military junta. With their aviator shades and shiny epaulettes, the generals plundered Nigeria&#8217;s vast oil wealth, none more aggressively or brutally than Sani Abacha in the 1990s.  ...]]></description>
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<title>Libya: Time for a new generation </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12010145&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Change, if it is on the way, comes in most mysterious waysHOWEVER much of a mess it has made of Libya, the Qaddafi family certainly puts on a diverting show. Like a television serial with several sub-plots, the drama involving Muammar Qaddafi, who has run his oil-rich state since seizing power 39 years ago, and his eight children, manages to sustain suspense even as the story twists in different directions at once. For the past few years, a striking sub-plot has been Libya&#8217;s emergence from the international isolation brought by its involvement in terrorism in the 1980s. This story has now taken a final happy turn with the inking of an agreement with America to settle all outstanding legal claims between the two countries. A compensation fund, likely to be filled by a mix of Libyan oil money and &#8220;donations&#8221; from big American firms keen to do business with Libya, will now pay the remaining compensation to American victims of the PanAm aircraft blown up over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988 and for other Libyan-sponsored attacks, as well as for 40-plus Libyans killed by an American bombing raid in 1986 in retaliation for an earlier terrorist incident.  ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11975452&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Saudi Arabia: Buying the farm </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11975452&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Feeding its own people more cheaplyWHILE Saudi Arabia sets up its first sovereign wealth fund, ordinary Saudis are more preoccupied with the rising price of food. This is prompting the Saudi government to consider a new direction for foreign investment: buying farms in the poorer parts of the world. Inflation in Saudi Arabia is running in double digits, its highest rate for three decades. Last December, 19 prominent Saudi clerics gave warning that inflation constituted a crisis that would lead to social unrest and crime. Since then, the poorest Saudis have got poorer, with prices going up across the board because of rapid monetary growth. Food and housing costs are rising fastest.  ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11975460&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Iraq: Whose law must mercenaries obey? </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11975460&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Private contractors in Iraq operate in a legal limbo. That may changeTHE American federal agency that monitors progress in rebuilding Iraq recently gave warning to Congress that proposed changes in Iraqi law could provoke an exodus of private contractors, who remain a crucial part of the American presence in the country. In particular, proposals by Iraq&#8217;s government to end the contractors&#8217; immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts is a contentious aspect of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that will, among other things, define the Americans&#8217; legal status in Iraq after the UN mandate ceases, at the Iraqis&#8217; request, at the end of this year. This week American and Iraqi negotiators sounded close to an agreement. But it was still unclear whether contractors&#8217; immunity, let alone a date for America&#8217;s troop withdrawal, has been nailed down.If all the privateers in Iraq ran scared of the new law, the American coalition&#8217;s manpower would be drastically squeezed. The Congressional Budget Office says that 190,000 people work for contractors in Iraq. Some 38,000 are American, 82,000 hail from elsewhere and 70,000-plus are Iraqi. But the law under which the foreigners operate has been murky. &#8220;We should have figured out the laws first and then hired the guys,&#8221; says Peter Singer of the Brookings Institution, a Washington think-tank. &#8220;We did the opposite.&#8221; ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11975480&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Liberia: With a little help from her friends </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11975480&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, halfway through her first term as president, is doing well IN HER inaugural speech in January 2006, Africa&#8217;s first female head of state set out the daunting tasks facing Liberia, citing her determination to heal the awful wounds inflicted during the civil wars of 1989 to 2003 by her various appalling predecessors, including Charles Taylor, now on trial for war crimes at The Hague. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a former World Banker, also promised to reduce Liberia&#8217;s dire poverty and to consolidate democracy. On the whole, she has made progress&#8212;albeit with a lot of help from friends abroad. Liberia is more stable these days, thanks in part to a large force of UN peacekeepers, whose numbers are due to fall from 13,000 to just under 10,000 by the end of 2010. Security is gradually to be taken over by a revamped national police force and a new army, both being recruited and trained by an American firm, DynCorp, which is being paid by the United States. ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11975470&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Algeria: Not again, please </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11975470&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Islamists linked to al-Qaeda may be reviving their campaign in the Maghreb&#8220;THIS looks like Iraq, not Algeria,&#8221; declared a distraught witness to the carnage of a bombing that killed 43 police recruits in a town to the east of Algeria&#8217;s capital, Algiers, on August 19th. His words were apt. There has been a dramatic rise in attacks by Islamist extremists in the country during the past fortnight, with at least 79 people killed in various incidents across eastern Algeria, most of them in a spate of suicide bombings similar to those that have ravaged Iraq. The targets have been similar too, including police stations, a coast-guard outpost, and a bus transporting Algerian workers for a big Canadian company. The attacks appear to be the work of Algeria&#8217;s main remaining Islamist guerrilla group, which in 2006, after contacts with al-Qaeda&#8217;s mother organisation, renamed itself al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Earlier this month it issued a chilling warning to Algeria&#8217;s pro-Western rulers: &#8220;We tell the sons of France, the slaves of America and their masters, too, that our finger is on the trigger, and the convoys of martyrs are longing to rampage your bastions in defence of our Islamic nation.&#8221; ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11968403&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Zambia: Why Africa needs more cabbage </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11968403&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The death of a decent president, Zambia&#8217;s Levy Mwanawasa, raises questions about the state of leadership elsewhere in the continentON PAPER, Levy Mwanawasa should never have been president. He lacked charisma, wit or style&#8212;the sort of qualities that propel populists to high office in much of Africa. At rallies even his own supporters were fast bored by the former lawyer&#8217;s monotone drawl. His ill-health and slurred speech, the results of a car crash, led to nasty jibes about his mental capacity. When he narrowly won his first, disputed, presidential election in 2001, opponents dubbed him &#8220;the cabbage&#8221;, deriding him as a stooge for others more powerful.But Mr Mwanawasa, who died this week in France after suffering in June the latest of several strokes, deserves to be remembered more fondly than the showmen who have beggared much of the continent. In the past seven years he made a serious effort to clean up Zambia&#8217;s pervasive corruption. At some political risk, he turned against his predecessor and one-time patron, the diminutive Frederick Chiluba, who was charged with 168 counts of theft. Mr Chiluba was convicted of graft in a civil court in London last year. It was a rare success: few African leaders have been held to such account. ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11975488&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Nigeria: Are the banks as shiny as they look? </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11975488&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Doubts persist about Nigeria&#8217;s banksTHE bright logos of Nigeria&#8217;s financial institutions adorn the tallest and poshest office blocks in central Lagos, the country&#8217;s commercial capital, testimony to years of impressive growth in banking. But now, after a rocky year, there are worries that some of the optimism may have been overblown. The reform of Nigeria&#8217;s creaking, corrupt banking system was one of the big achievements of President Olusegun Obasanjo in his second term in office (2003-07). As part of a policy to squeeze weak or failing banks out of business, in 2005 the Central Bank of Nigeria raised banks&#8217; capital requirements. In a hectic round of consolidation, the number of banks dropped from 89 to 24. Those that remained have had a very good few years, with massive local expansion and sometimes triple-digit growth in their share prices. And with less than a fifth of Nigerians keeping their money in banks and with fast growth led by private companies, there still seems to be plenty of potential for more business. Banks surveyed by a Lagos-based stockbroker, Afrinvest, showed that median before-tax earnings had risen by 141% year-on-year by June.  ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11921621&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Uganda: Drums of war across the borders </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11921621&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Since peace talks with Uganda&#8217;s rebels collapsed, some say war must resume IN MARCH, after nearly two years of on-and-off peace talks, negotiators for Uganda&#8217;s Lord&#8217;s Resistance Army (LRA) announced that their leader, Joseph Kony, an elusive self-styled mystic, was at last ready to emerge from the bush and sign a deal to end one of Africa&#8217;s longest wars. For two decades, the conflict had brought misery to a region bordering several countries (see map), left tens of thousands of people in northern Uganda dead, and displaced nearly 2m others. Earlier this year, the date for signing a peace deal approached. But at the last minute Mr Kony called off the event and sacked his negotiators. Now there is a danger the war may resume.It is yet another humiliating setback for those who have advocated talking to a man wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court at The Hague. So those who have always argued for taking a tougher stand against the LRA, such as Uganda&#8217;s senior soldiers, have the upper hand again. At the end of June, citing the lack of progress towards a peace deal, the leaders of Uganda, Congo and the autonomous region of south Sudan agreed for the first time to co-ordinate military efforts to stamp out the rebellion once and for all.  ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11921613&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Israel: Temple temptations </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11921613&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The issue of Jerusalem&#8217;s holiest site may again be dividing JewsTHE lead singer, with yarmulke, beard and guitar, appears with a sheep on the cover of the latest record by Lechatchila, a religious-rock group popular among Orthodox young Israelis. &#8220;Don&#8217;t stare at me,&#8221; the lyrics go. &#8220;The Temple is sure to be rebuilt right now. We&#8217;ve got to prepare, to believe, to make the redemption happen.&#8221;For two millennia, ever since the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, Jews have continued to study, write and indeed sing about the intricate rituals of service and sacrifice, in the belief that one day the Messiah would come and the Temple would be rebuilt. Meanwhile, the faithful were forbidden even to walk on the Holy Mount, let alone worship there.  ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11921647&#x26;fsrc=rss">
<title>Iraq: The benefits and the curse of oil </title>
<link>http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11921647&#x26;fsrc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The country is awash with oil money but still lacks a proper planIN THE second quarter of the year, an American military auditor recently reported, Iraq&#8217;s oil production averaged over 2.4m barrels a day, the highest level since America invaded Iraq in 2003, and a marked improvement on last year&#8217;s average of around 2m b/d (see chart). Rising output, along with the high (if now falling) price of oil, should pump up Iraq&#8217;s oil revenues to almost $80 billion this year. That, in turn, has allowed the country&#8217;s parliament to boost this year&#8217;s budget from $48 billion to $70 billion in a supplementary spending bill approved earlier this month. As security improves, the government has a lot more cash to spend than it did a year ago. Will it make the best of it?For one thing, revenue from oil should go up more sharply still. Iraq produced 3m b/d as recently as October 2001, despite the crippling UN-enforced sanctions at the time. Iraq&#8217;s oil minister, Hussein al-Shahristani, has spoken of raising output to 6m b/d. In theory, that is possible. Iraq&#8217;s proven reserves, of 115 billion barrels, are the world&#8217;s third-largest after Saudi Arabia and Iran. Yet Iraq ranks just 13th in terms of production, suggesting there is plenty of scope to pump more. Russia, for example, produced almost 10m b/d last year from reserves of 80 billion barrels. Only 27 of the 80 or so fields that have been discovered in Iraq have ever been tapped. ...]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/385092744/la-fg-airforce7-2008sep07,0,3329806.story">
<title>

        Iraq&#x27;s air force taking to the skies again</title>
<link>http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/385092744/la-fg-airforce7-2008sep07,0,3329806.story</link>
<description><![CDATA[Grounded at the start of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, the once-powerful force is being nurtured back into existence with the help of American trainers.
                        
                    
                    
                        When Abu Mohammed walks down the flight line at a base outside this northern Iraqi city, there's a swagger in his stride. Engineers too young to remember Iraq's storied dogfights against Iran rush up to shake his hand.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/385043494/la-fg-egypt7-2008sep07,0,4384154.story">
<title>

        Police: Rock slide in Egyptian village kills 24</title>
<link>http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/385043494/la-fg-egypt7-2008sep07,0,4384154.story</link>
<description><![CDATA[Massive boulders crashed down on an Egyptian shantytown today on the outskirts of the capital, killing at least 24 people, authorities said. Rescuers were digging by hand to reach any survivors.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/384844259/la-fg-troops6-2008sep06,0,259998.story">
<title>

        U.S. needs more troops in Afghanistan, commander says</title>
<link>http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/384844259/la-fg-troops6-2008sep06,0,259998.story</link>
<description><![CDATA[But with Petraeus set to recommend slowing the drawdown in Iraq, more forces are unlikely to be available soon to deal with rising bloodshed.
                        
                    
                    
                        A top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan said Friday that he needed thousands of additional troops to combat violence along the border with Pakistan, a requirement that appears to be at odds with recommendations from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus on future troop levels in Iraq.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/384861395/la-fg-libya6-2008sep06,0,526706.story">
<title>

        Rice meets with Libya leader, a former pariah</title>
<link>http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/384861395/la-fg-libya6-2008sep06,0,526706.story</link>
<description><![CDATA[Moammar Kadafi is a gracious host, but the U.S. and Libya are not friends yet.
                        
                    
                    
                        Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi welcomed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to his high-security personal compound Friday, in symbolic recognition that after nearly three decades of animosity, the U.S.-Libyan relationship is now officially normal,  if not entirely friendly.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/384844260/la-fg-sudan6-2008sep06,0,3274627.story">
<title>

        Sudan doesn&#x27;t see relations improving after the U.S. election</title>
<link>http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/384844260/la-fg-sudan6-2008sep06,0,3274627.story</link>
<description><![CDATA[Officials in Khartoum are renewing efforts to reach agreement with the U.S., spurred by a genocide investigation and the impending end of the Bush administration.
                        
                    
                    
                        The American presidential race and a genocide investigation by the International Criminal Court are propelling Sudanese officials to renew efforts to strike a deal with the U.S. aimed at normalizing relations and improving stability in the volatile Darfur region.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/384844261/la-fg-pakistan6-2008sep06,0,2272042.story">
<title>

        3 Pakistani judges return to top court</title>
<link>http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/384844261/la-fg-pakistan6-2008sep06,0,2272042.story</link>
<description><![CDATA[Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday reinstated three judges ousted by former President Pervez Musharraf, another victory for the man set to succeed him as head of state.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/384844262/la-na-iraqbookreax6-2008sep06,0,633621.story">
<title>

        White House disputes aspects of Iraq book by Bob Woodward</title>
<link>http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/384844262/la-na-iraqbookreax6-2008sep06,0,633621.story</link>
<description><![CDATA[National security advisor Stephen Hadley says 'The War Within,' due out Monday, wrongly depicts Bush as detached from decision-making and misleading in public statements about the Iraq war.
                        
                    
                    
                        The White House on Friday disputed several elements of a new book detailing internal administration battles over Iraq, saying that a news story about the book wrongly portrayed President Bush as detached from decision-making and misleading in his public statements about the war.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/383947368/la-fg-uspakistan5-2008sep05,0,1022261.story">
<title>

        U.S. may step up raids in Pakistan</title>
<link>http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/383947368/la-fg-uspakistan5-2008sep05,0,1022261.story</link>
<description><![CDATA[Despite growing protests in Pakistan over a raid, many Pentagon officials favor a more aggressive approach to counter attacks in Afghanistan carried out by militants based in Pakistan.
                        
                    
                    
                        Even as angry protests spread in Pakistan, Pentagon officials said Thursday that the number of cross-border commando missions may grow in coming months to counter increasing violence in Afghanistan.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/383947369/la-na-troops5-2008sep05,0,2488222.story">
<title>

        Gen. Petraeus recommends delay in Iraq troop cuts</title>
<link>http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/383947369/la-na-troops5-2008sep05,0,2488222.story</link>
<description><![CDATA[The move reflects concerns that widespread violence could return to the country.
                        
                    
                    
                        Army Gen. David H. Petraeus has recommended that President Bush postpone sharp troop cuts in Iraq until next year, delaying a large-scale shift of combat forces to Afghanistan and reflecting concerns that widespread violence could return to Iraq.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/383947370/la-na-oreilly5-2008sep05,0,6251356.story">
<title>

        Barack Obama sits down with Bill O&#x27;Reilly</title>
<link>http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/383947370/la-na-oreilly5-2008sep05,0,6251356.story</link>
<description><![CDATA[He tells the conservative Fox talk-show host that the Iraq troop increase succeeded 'beyond our wildest dreams.'
                        
                    
                    
                        In a much-anticipated interview with conservative nemesis Bill O'Reilly, Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday that the troop surge in Iraq had "succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated" and "beyond our wildest dreams."]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94176242&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>U.S. Hands Over Anbar Province</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94176242&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[At a ceremony in Ramadi Monday, the U.S. military handed over control of Anbar province to Iraqi government forces. The Sunni province west of Baghdad was an insurgent hotbed until late 2006 when tribal leaders formed an alliance with U.S. forces. Will Iraq's Shiite-dominated government allow these Sunni paramilitaries to continue operating?]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93974973&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>New Chief Aims To Restore Air Force&#x27;s Reputation</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93974973&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[Gen. Norton Schwartz is a man in line with Defense Secretary Robert Gates' vision of the Air Force.  Unlike his fired predecessor, Schwartz isn't reluctant to send Air Force officers and more intelligence and surveillance to Iraq.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93937972&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>Treating Iraqi Children For PTSD</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93937972&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[The war in Iraq has had a severe impact on the country's children. More than 650 children were reported killed there last year. Iraq's children also have been the victims of kidnapping, torture and rape. A clinic for children suffering post-traumatic stress disorder is opening this month in Baghdad.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93902559&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>&#x27;Three Cups of Tea&#x27; With Pakistan&#x27;s Musharraf</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93902559&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[Greg Mortenson, executive director of the Central Asia Institute, met with Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf during a recent trip to the region. Musharraf had read a book Mortenson co-wrote titled Three Cups of Tea, about his experiences building more than 60 schools in remote parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93794540&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>Lebanon Prime Minister Heads To Iraq</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93794540&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[Fuad Siniora is expected to arrive in Baghdad Wednesday. Relations are improving between Iraq's Shiite-dominated government and the Arab world's Sunni leaders.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93690025&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>Musharraf Resigns Amidst Growing Outcry</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93690025&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[Pervez Musharraf has resigned as Pakistan's president under threat of impeachment. It may be the final act in a long confrontation between Musharraf and the political opposition that has accused him of illegally seizing power and mishandling the country's economy. Shuja Nawaz, a Pakistani journalist and author, explains issues facing that nation's government.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93167232&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>Middle East Diplomacy, Shrinking U.S. Involvement</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93167232&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[Complex diplomatic negotiations are taking place in the volatile region. With the U.S. taking a back seat in the talks, smaller countries such as Egypt and Syria are stepping up and taking leading roles.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93305836&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>Middle-Eastern Perspectives On The U.S. Election</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93305836&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[Rami Khouri, editor for the Daily Star, discusses the political challenges in Lebanon and describes the different ways people in the Middle East view the U.S. presidential election. Khouri directs the Fares Institute of Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93235315&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>Training Afghan Forces Is Mission Critical For U.S.</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93235315&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[Training Afghan security forces is seen as a critical component of stabilizing the country. NPR's Jackie Northam is embedded with U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan, and she talks with host Liane Hansen about efforts to get the new Afghan army battle-ready.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93143826&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>Palestinian Rivals Accused Of Human Rights Abuses</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93143826&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[Human Rights groups say the two main Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, have been illegally arresting, torturing and even killing each other's members.]]></description>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92752144&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>U.S. Civilians Recruited To Help Troubled Nations</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92752144&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[The State Department hopes patriotism will compel American civilians to leave their comfortable lives in the U.S. for far-flung locales and potentially dangerous work: saving states the U.S. classifies as "failing." Critics say the program will be seen as nation building.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93088388&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>Officer Suggests Ways To Support The Troops</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93088388&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[Capt. Nate Rawlings urges people who want to help U.S. troops to send a letter or visit a veterans hospital. The Army officer also explains how he and his soldiers approach political debates.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93096258&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>Dispute Over East Jerusalem Imperils Peace Talks</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93096258&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[As Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announces he will step down after fall elections, tensions are rising between Israelis and Palestinians over the possession of East Jerusalem.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93094280&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>Q&#x26;A: Olmert&#x27;s Resignation And The Peace Process</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93094280&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Israeli prime minister's plan to leave office in September stalls the Middle East peace process in the final months of the Bush adminstration. Meanwhile, two members of his cabinet are campaigning to replace him as the Kadima party leader and prime minister.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93083539&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009">
<title>Rice Meets With Israeli, Palestinian Officials</title>
<link>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93083539&#x26;ft=1&#x26;f=1009</link>
<description><![CDATA[U.S. Secretary of State Rice meets with visiting Israeli and Palestinian officials in a bid to revive flagging hopes of a peace settlement. With Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert saying he will resign in September, a deal this year looks unlikely.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27942&#x26;Cr=iraq&#x26;Cr1=">
<title>UN agencies launch bid to include restored Iraqi marshlands on heritage list</title>
<link>http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27942&#x26;Cr=iraq&#x26;Cr1=</link>
<description><![CDATA[Two United Nations agencies unveiled a joint bid today to list Iraq's marshlands, considered by some to be the original Garden of Eden, as a World Heritage Site, capping efforts to restore the ecological viability of the fragile region.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27946&#x26;Cr=palestin&#x26;Cr1=">
<title>Palestinians stranded on Iraq-Syria border to depart for Iceland - UN</title>
<link>http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27946&#x26;Cr=palestin&#x26;Cr1=</link>
<description><![CDATA[Nearly 30 Palestinian refugees stranded for the past two years in makeshift camps on the border between Iraq and Syria will start new lives when they head to Iceland next week, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced today.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27915&#x26;Cr=unifil&#x26;Cr1=">
<title>UN saddened by death of bomb disposal expert in accidental explosion</title>
<link>http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27915&#x26;Cr=unifil&#x26;Cr1=</link>
<description><![CDATA[The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expressed its sadness at the accidental death of one of its bomb disposal experts in an explosion during a mine clearing operation earlier today.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27895&#x26;Cr=Guterres&#x26;Cr1=">
<title>UN refugee chief meets with Tunisian officials before heading to Iran</title>
<link>http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27895&#x26;Cr=Guterres&#x26;Cr1=</link>
<description><![CDATA[The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is visiting Tunisia to strengthen cooperation between his office and the North African nation, including the establishment of a full-fledged representation, before heading to Iran later this week.   ]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27894&#x26;Cr=iran&#x26;Cr1=">
<title>UN urges Iran not to impose death penalty on juveniles</title>
<link>http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27894&#x26;Cr=iran&#x26;Cr1=</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has urged Iran not to impose the death penalty on juvenile offenders, following reports that two minors were recently put to death, in violation of the country's obligations under international law.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27869&#x26;Cr=Iraq&#x26;Cr1=">
<title>UN to undertake science and technology  strategy review for Iraq</title>
<link>http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27869&#x26;Cr=Iraq&#x26;Cr1=</link>
<description><![CDATA[The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) announced today that it will work with the Iraqi Government to map out a strategy for using science, technology and innovation to reconstruct its economy and accelerate its development.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27844&#x26;Cr=unifil&#x26;Cr1=">
<title>Security Council extends UN force in southern Lebanon for another year</title>
<link>http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27844&#x26;Cr=unifil&#x26;Cr1=</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Security Council today extended until the end of August 2009 the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), stating that the deployment of the mission together with the country's armed forces has helped to establish "a new strategic environment in southern Lebanon."]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27831&#x26;Cr=iraq&#x26;Cr1=kirkuk">
<title>Iraq: UN envoy persists with efforts to promote dialogue over disputed city</title>
<link>http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27831&#x26;Cr=iraq&#x26;Cr1=kirkuk</link>
<description><![CDATA[The top United Nations official in Iraq continues to work to promote political dialogue and national reconciliation across the country, including over the disputed status of the northern city of Kirkuk, a UN spokesperson said today.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27820&#x26;Cr=iraq&#x26;Cr1=">
<title>UNESCO chief deplores murder of senior Iraqi cultural official</title>
<link>http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27820&#x26;Cr=iraq&#x26;Cr1=</link>
<description><![CDATA[The head of the United Nations culture agency today condemned the murder of a senior Iraqi Government official who had long worked to protect and preserve his country's cultural heritage.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27814&#x26;Cr=palestin&#x26;Cr1=">
<title>Gaza: UN expert welcomes landing of ships carrying human rights activists</title>
<link>http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27814&#x26;Cr=palestin&#x26;Cr1=</link>
<description><![CDATA[An independent United Nations human rights expert today hailed the landing of two wooden boats in Gaza carrying 46 human rights activists as a key symbolic victory.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/world/middleeast/07gaza.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Abroad: Watching &#x2018;Friends&#x2019; in Gaza: A Culture Clash</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/world/middleeast/07gaza.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[As young Gazans turn to television and the Internet for a view of the world beyond the armored checkpoints, culture is emerging as a struggle within Hamas.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/world/middleeast/07iraq.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Car Bombing Kills at Least 6 In City in Northwestern Iraq</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/world/middleeast/07iraq.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Witnesses said the bomb exploded in a marketplace in the Wihda district as people ran to the scene of a car accident.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/world/middleeast/06iraq.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>U.S. Spied on Maliki, Book Says, Upsetting Iraq</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/world/middleeast/06iraq.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Iraqi government warned that claims about espionage in a book by Bob Woodward could affect negotiations over the continuing American troop presence in the country.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/world/middleeast/06mideast.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Israel Aids Palestinians With Arms</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/world/middleeast/06mideast.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Some 900 assault rifles were transferred to the Palestinian Authority in late August with Israel’s approval, as part of a drive to build the capacity of Palestinian security forces.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/world/middleeast/05damascus.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Syria Says Israeli Peace Talks Postponed</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/world/middleeast/05damascus.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[President Bashar al-Assad said resumption of the talks and their outcome would hinge on who succeeds Ehud Olmert as Israel’s prime minister in upcoming elections there.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/world/middleeast/05military.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Plan Would Shift Forces From Iraq to Afghanistan</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/world/middleeast/05military.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Pentagon leaders have recommended a modest shift of U.S. forces by early next year, officials said.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/world/05nations.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Donors&#x2019; Aid to Poor Nations Declines, U.N. Reports</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/world/05nations.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Aid to poor nations has slumped even as higher food and energy prices and slowing global economic growth have made such assistance more urgent, according to a report released Thursday.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/world/middleeast/04iraq.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Handshake Defuses a Standoff in Baghdad</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/world/middleeast/04iraq.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The intensification and resolution of a conflict between a Sunni citizen patrol and the Iraqi Army offered a vivid illustration of the tension between the two organizations.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/world/middleeast/04state.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Memo From Jerusalem: Support for 2-State Plan Erodes</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/world/middleeast/04state.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Prominent mainstream Palestinians are warning that they may pursue a one-state solution based on a long-term fight for equal rights within Israel.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/world/middleeast/03lebanon.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Nabatiye Journal: Hezbollah Shrine to Terrorist Suspect Enthralls Lebanese Children</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/world/middleeast/03lebanon.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Hezbollah has opened an exhibit in honor of Imad Mugniyah, who is accused of masterminding devastating bombings and hijackings in the 1980s and ’90s.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us/politics/03policy.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Events in Iraq Likely to Be Key Theme for McCain</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us/politics/03policy.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Monday’s turnover of responsibility to the Iraqis for security in Anbar Province allows John McCain to argue that he was the first to come up with the winning strategy.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/world/middleeast/03israel.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Agent Says Israelis Let a Nazi Escape</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/world/middleeast/03israel.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Israeli agents who kidnapped the Nazi mastermind Adolf Eichmann from Argentina in 1960 found the notorious death camp doctor Josef Mengele but let him get away, one of the operatives said Tuesday.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/business/worldbusiness/03fund.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Abu Dhabi Puts More Cash on the Line in Hollywood</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/business/worldbusiness/03fund.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Abu Dhabi Media, flush with oil cash, is adding to the $1 billion deal it announced with Warner Brothers last year, and is putting another billion in a new movie business.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/nyregion/03indict.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Indictment Hints of Plan to Attack Landmarks</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/nyregion/03indict.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[A Pakistani neuroscientist was carrying notes when she was detained in Afghanistan that referred to a “mass casualty attack” and listed various New York City landmarks, according to a federal indictment.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/business/worldbusiness/03soccer.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>English Soccer Club Sale Reveals Emirates&#x2019; Rivalry</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/business/worldbusiness/03soccer.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Soccer may not yet compare with blue chip stocks. But the intense interest in the soccer club Manchester City illustrates the appeal of these visible assets for foreign investors.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/world/middleeast/02anbar.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>U.S. Hands Off Pacified Anbar, Once Heart of Iraq Insurgency</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/world/middleeast/02anbar.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The handover of the Iraqi province, once a stronghold of the Sunni insurgency, marked a long-delayed milestone.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/world/middleeast/02iraq.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>U.S. Military Will Transfer Control of Sunni Citizen Patrols to Iraqi Government</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/world/middleeast/02iraq.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Iraqi government will assume responsibility for paying and employing citizen patrols known as Awakening Councils, American military officials said.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/01/world/middleeast/01mideast.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Olmert Turmoil Slows Mideast Peace Effort</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/01/world/middleeast/01mideast.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Israeli and Palestinian officials played down the prospect of any immediate peace deal as Ehud Olmert, Israel’s discredited prime minister, begins his final phase in office.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/washington/31military.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Troop &#x2018;Surge&#x2019; Took Place Amid Doubt and Debate</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/washington/31military.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[President Bush chose a bold plan for Iraq that was at odds with what many of his advisers initially recommended.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/world/africa/31libya.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Italy Agrees to $5 Billion Libya Reparations</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/world/africa/31libya.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Italy agreed to pay Libya $5 billion in compensation for its 32-year occupation of the country ending in 1943, the Libyan foreign minister said on Saturday.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/world/middleeast/29iraq.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Iraq Signs Oil Deal With China Worth Up to $3 Billion</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/world/middleeast/29iraq.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The contract was the first major oil deal the Iraq government has made with a foreign country since 2003.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/world/middleeast/28rose.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Israelis in Anguish Over the Abuse and Murder of a 4-Year-Old</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/world/middleeast/28rose.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Israel is in the grip of a nightmarish tale of a French girl named Rose, who police say was killed by her grandfather.    

]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/world/middleeast/28beatles.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss">
<title>Jerusalem Journal: Israel, After 43 Years, Is Ready for Beatlemania</title>
<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/world/middleeast/28beatles.html?partner=rssnyt&#x26;emc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Excitement is building for the first concert by Paul McCartney in Israel, an epilogue to a tale that began in 1965 when authorities canceled a Beatles concert on “spiritual and cultural” grounds.    

]]></description>
</item>

</rdf:RDF>