Al-Jazeera bureau chief arrested in northern Israel Reporters Without Borders today called for the immediate release of Walid Al-Omari, Al-Jazeera's bureau chief in Israel, who was detained today in northern Israel shortly after reporting live on the Qatar-based satellite TV news station about the cross-border clashes with Lebanon. It was the second time Omari had been arrested by the police in two days. "We condemn the methods being used by the Israeli authorities against Al-Jazeera," the organisation said. "We do not understand why the army harasses this TV station's journalists and we appeal to the Israeli government to take measures to ensure that all journalists in Israel can work with complete freedom." Al-Jazeera told Reporters Without Borders it did not understand the Israeli army's position either. "We think we are covering the fighting with the utmost possible objectivity. These events make us again question the conditions in which our staff work in Israel. The tension is really palpable on the ground." The station added: "According to our journalists there, our bureau chief, Walid Al-Omari, has been interrogated for more than four hours, in a rather violent manner. We condemn the use of force against him." Omari was taken today to the police station in Akka for interrogation after being arrested near the town. He had already been arrested and questioned yesterday and had been freed this morning after spending the night in a detention centre. Members of another Al-Jazeera crew were also detained while covering developments in Haifa. The station said the Israeli authorities ordered reporter Elias Karram and his crew to keep away from an oil refinery located on the waterfront. Awad Rajoub, a Palestinian journalist who works for Al-Jazeera's website, was freed for lack of evidence on 24 May after being held for six months. He was arrested by Israeli soldiers on 30 November 2005 at his home in Doura, 10 km from the West Bank city of Hebron, and accused of "threatening state security." The soldiers confiscated his mobile phone at the time of his arrest. The army said his arrest had nothing to do with his work. Iyer in Kerala to Review Panchayath Raj The Panchayati Raj Minister Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar is leaving for Cochin today on a four day visit to Kerala to review the Panchayati Raj in the State. This visit is part of the ongoing process initiated by Shri Aiyar under which he is traveling to different States and Union Territories to interact with representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institutions. During his visit, Shri Aiyar will attend Panchayats programmes as organized by Government of Kerala in Cochin, Munnar, Kottayam and Trivandrum. He will interact with the elected representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institutions and also discuss ways to further strengthen the Panchayati Raj with the State Administration. A joint resolution is scheduled to be signed between Shri Aiyar and Kerala Chief Minister on 22nd July, 2006 at Trivandrum on the concluding day of the Union Panchayati Raj Minister’s visit to the State. Gulf Air Cargo on Wheels in UAE, Saudi Arabia Trade gets additional capacity from Muscat and Bahrain Manama, Bahrain 19 July 2006: Here is good news for the freight forwarding industry doing business from Muscat to the UAE and, from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia.Gulf Air Cargo - a dedicated division of Gulf Air - has started new road feeder services (RFS) from Muscat to Dubai/Abu Dhabi and, from Bahrain to Dammam. The service from Muscat is daily, whilst that from Bahrain operates six days a week, excluding Fridays and public holidays. The services offer customers an additional capacity of more than 8,000 kgs per truck on these routes, in addition to the capacity available in the numerous flights from Muscat to the UAE and Bahrain to Saudi Arabia. "We introduced this additional service to bolster our already well-established cargo market between Oman and the UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia," says Gulf Air Head of Cargo Des Vertannes. "Gulf Air already has a well-established, dedicated RFS in Europe connecting major European gateways. Our trucking service has gained a special reputation built on strong relationships with several transport operators, so our customers can expect the same reliability, flexibility and frequency, which are the hallmarks of Gulf Air Cargo. "For instance, dedicated pallets of cargo arriving in Muscat or Bahrain can be connected within three hours and the consignments can be fully tracked and traced throughout the journey online at www.gfcargo.com." The RFS from Muscat is available for all consignments, including charge collect (CC) cargo and, all general cargo is accepted except perishables, HUM, valuables, dangerous goods and live animals. From Bahrain, the service is available for pre-paid cargo only. With over 1,000 flights to and from its two hubs Muscat and Bahrain, the dedicated trucking services further extend the already extensive network within the Middle East. The trucking service from Muscat and the UAE operates at convenient timings leaving Muscat at 1000 (local), arriving in Dubai at 1600 (local) and Abu Dhabi at 1800 (local). The service from Bahrain to Dammam departs at 0730 arriving in Dammam at 1130 (all in local time). Labour market segmentation causes unemployment of GCC Nationals Labour Market Information System Project July 18th , 2006 As part of the recently proposed Labour Market Information System [LMIS] Project for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, Tanmia, the National Human Resources Development and Employment Authority, has announced the findings of its latest study on the causes of long-term unemployment in GCC economies. The paper uses micro and macro-level data and analysis, and considers the relationship between unemployment evolution and oil prices, output gaps, and other macroeconomic indicators. It also explores the lessons learnt from labour market policies implemented in the GCC and other economies. The findings of the study show that labour market segmentation is a main cause of unemployment through; the clustering of nationals in the public sector through past creation of public sector jobs to accommodate them; low-skilled, low-wage private sector jobs that do not attract nationals, and a pool of foreign workers willing to take those private sector jobs. The other findings of the study reveal that falling revenue from oil and high remuneration expectations of nationals have stemmed governments' ability to continue public sector job creation; there is a tendency towards persistent unemployment, which is based on disproportionately large labour marke responses to short-term adjustments to address output gaps; the incidence of unemployment falls as level of education rises, but increases among secondary school leavers; and once wages rise to a certain level, some of the inactive move into the labour force and become available for work. The findings do not support the claim that nationals' unemployment is voluntary. Unemployment rates were found to be five times higher among poorer nationals than among the wealthier: 11 percent for the poorest 20 percent of households compared to 2.2 percent for those in the highest income group. Further, the probability of unemployment was found to be higher among nationals with disabilities (this was demonstrated using data from Oman). Tanmia's study also shows that employment subsidies and employment quotas have had negative rather than positive effects on employment, with subsidies serving to increase wages overall, thereby reducing labour demand; and firms employing ghost workers' (on paper only) just to meet quotas. A major conclusion of the paper is that any attempt by GCC economies to address unemployment must tackle the causes of unemployment. A strong case is made for the abandonment of the policies tried until now, in favour of others that seek to reform the labour market in a comprehensive way. These include measures to reduce labour market segmentation over time; improve workers' mobility (especially foreign workers); enhance nationals' productivity; and strengthen the links between the education system and the labour market. The paper recommends, specific measures such as enhancing the productivity of national workers so that they can compete more effectively with more experienced foreign workers; adopting a system of apprenticeship, similar to the German system, that links the education system to the labour market; instituting programmes and policies that will attract the unemployed into employment; training and retraining for the previously employed who become unemployed; and exposing nationals to programmes that make them more docile so that they can match the docility of foreign workers. Finally, the paper calls for the development of a common framework for statistical measurement and reporting among GCC countries and for more systematic collection and dissemination of labour market data and information. Grand Coalition of Pakistani-Americans Condemns Israeli Aggression New York, NY Jul 17, 2006 A grand coalition of Pakistani-American organizations, including Chicago Council of Pakistani Organizations (CCPO), Pakistan Action Committee (PAC), Pakistani American Council of Texas (PACT), Pakistan Cultural Association of Staten Island, Inc. (PCASI), Pakistan American Democratic Forum (PADF), Pakistan Association of Riverside (PAR), Pakistan Community Association of New Orleans (PCANO), Pakistan League of America (PLA), Pakistan-USA Freedom Forum (PUFF), and Live Together.US Inc. (LTU), has condemned current Israeli aggression in ?strongest possible terms.? The Grand Coalition has emphasized that ?the Western Powers cannot continue to deal with the symptoms and ignore the root cause: Israel?s continued occupation of Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian lands. The UN Security Council must bring about an immediate cease-fire or risk the whole Middle East going up in flames.? The Grand Coalition has called on Pakistan and other Muslim countries ?not to recognize Israel till a free and sovereign nation of Palestine has been established.? They have also repudiated the ?political opportunism? of eight Pakistani- Americans as a ?cruel hoax?. The joint statement reads: ?We call on the UN Security Council to fulfill its obligations by using all its authority to bring an immediate end to organized Israeli slaughter of men, women and children in Gaza and Lebanon. ?The UN cannot continue to deal with the symptoms and ignore the root cause: Israel?s continued occupation of Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian lands. ?We call on the Government of Pakistan to reaffirm its stated position that formal diplomatic relations with Israel ?will have to wait? till a just peace is obtained and an ?independent Palestinian state? has come into existence. ?Recognition of Israel by Pakistan and other Muslim countries should be based on two factors: 1) full implementation of all relevant UN resolutions, particularly 242, 338, and 194, and return of Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian lands currently occupied by Israel, and 2) establishment of a viable, independent and sovereign state of Palestine that is in full control of its own internal and external affairs as well as its own resources including water, air space, and borders. ?Any mediation on behalf of the Palestinians must be done with the foreknowledge and approval of their democratically elected leadership.?A tiny group of Pakistani-Americans who had recently gone to Israel on a private visit had done so to provide a cover for Israel?s heinous crimes. Calling it ?peacemaking? is a ?cruel hoax? that has fooled nobody. These are the same people who had honored extremist BJP leader Advani last year. They stand utterly rejected by the Pakistani-American community.? Committee formed for Greater NAM Economic Cooperation A Special Committee to deliberate on how to bring the focus of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) on economic and social issues relevant to the developing countries as well as South-South Cooperation has been set up. The Committee shall be headed by Dr. Arjun K. Sengupta, Chairman, National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector and Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. The members of the Special Committee are: Shri C. R. Gharekhan, Former Permanent Representative to UN and Special Envoy on Middle East Peace Process; Dr. Devaki Jain, Former Member, South Commission; Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Director, International Council for Research in International Economic Relations (ICRIER); Dr. Nagesh Kumar, Director General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS); Shri S. N. Menon, Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry; Prof. Abhijit Sen, Member, Planning Commission and Shri Parthasarthi Shome, Adviser to Finance Minister. The Committee is likely to submit its report to the Government before end August 2006. As one of the founder members, India continues to be actively involved in NAM, which provides a valuable forum for developing countries to articulate their views on a wide range of issues in a collective manner, and to find ways and means to further strengthen their cooperation. The NAM is the largest grouping of developing countries outside the United Nations. With rapid changes in the international environment, there has been a growing realization among the member countries of the NAM to revitalize the Movement, making it a more effective voice of the developing countries. In this context, it is important to strengthen economic cooperation within NAM and also to pursue interests of its member countries by agreeing on common positions in the global arena.