Russia's Medvedev signs nuclear power deal with Vietnam

Visiting Russian president Dimitry Medvedev (L) shakes and with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Minh Triet during an official welcoming ceremony held on October 31, 2010 at the presidential palace in Hanoi. The Russian leader is making a state visit after attending the East Asia summit held on the sidelines of an anual Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the Vietnamese capital. The state visit is aimed at boosting ties between two former communist allies. AFP PHOTO / POOL / HOANG DINH Nam (Photo by HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images)

October 31, 2010 (KATAKAMI / RIA NOVOSTI) --- The construction of Vietnam's first nuclear power plant will strengthen the country's positions as a strong, independent and modern state, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday following the signing of a nuclear power deal between the two countries.
Under the deal, Russia will initially build two power units in Vietnam with a capacity of 1.2 GW each.

Overall, Vietnam plans to build eight nuclear power plants in five provinces by 2030, with a total capacity of 15 GW, or 10% of all electricity produced in the country. Each NPP would have from four to six generating units.

"This is a very important project, a large project designated for long use. In the final account, if we implement the ideas stipulated in the project and build the capacity designed for the nuclear power plant, the project will capture a considerable part of Vietnam's electricity market," Medvedev said after the signing ceremony in Hanoi.

"We believe that the project will allow Vietnam to develop as a modern and independent state, which does not only extract and refine oil but also uses other sources of energy. And it is very important in a contemporary world to be an independent, strong and modern state," Medvedev said.

Moscow has also pledged to provide Vietnam with a loan for the nuclear power plant construction.


HANOI, October 31 (RIA Novosti)

PM Netanyahu's Remarks at the Start of the Weekly Cabinet Meeting

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet in Jerusalem, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010. Netanyahu says he is heading to the U.S. next week to discuss Mideast peace efforts with Vice President Joe Biden. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Jim Hollander, Pool)

October 31, 2010 (KATAKAMI / PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE) --- Following are excerpts from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting today:

"Several weeks ago, I visited Lod.  I said that we could not let the city continue to deteriorate and become the wild west in the heart of the country.  I said that we would act so that Lod would continue to attract new residents, young couples and tourists.  Immediately after the tour, I asked Prime Minister's Office Director-General Eyal Gabai to prepare a comprehensive plan for the city.  This plan will be submitted for Cabinet approval today.  It costs NIS 130 million and is designed to bolster the personal security of Lod's residents and raise their standard of living.

This comprehensive plan includes – inter alia – the collection of illegal weapons, community policing, the renovation of infrastructure, marketing the city's new neighborhoods, making transportation more accessible, building sports facilities, developing tourist infrastructures, upgrading social welfare services, strengthening culture, etc.  I point out that this plan follows on the Education Ministry's NIS 44 million plan to strengthen education in the city.  I believe that this comprehensive plan will bear fruit in the very near future and I expect all ministers to do their part for this important goal, which is both a local and a national goal, vis-à-vis our perspective on how a city with various ethnic communities, and with problems and troubles that can be overcome if we work together, should appear.

Next Sunday, I will leave for the annual Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly.  I will meet there with US Vice President Joe Biden and other senior administration figures, and will discuss with them a series of issues, including – of course – the resumption of the diplomatic process in order to reach a peace agreement with security for the future of the State of Israel.

This General Assembly will be held against the background of reports about the attempt to attack the Jewish community in Chicago, and the truth is that it does not matter if the target was a synagogue in Chicago or a railway station in Madrid, or London, or Mumbai, or Bali.  We are facing a growing wave of terrorism by extremist Islam.  It is growing in the scope and brazen gall of its attacks, in the weapons with which it is arming itself and in the sweeping objectives of the leaders of global terrorism.  Therefore, one of the main issues that I will address at the General Assembly is the steps that the civilized and free world must take in order to stop this wave that threatens us all."

(MS)

Netanyahu to visit U.S. next week, but won't meet with Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House September 1, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Obama will meet with Middle East leaders before the opening direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians scheduled to begin September 2, in the State Department. (Photo by Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images)

October 31, 2010 (KATAKAMI / HAARETZ) --- PM to travel to New Orleans for annual U.S. Jewish conference, due to meet with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to New Orleans early in November for an annual U.S. Jewish conference, but is unlikely to meet President Barack Obama, who will be in Asia. 

Netanyahu announced his plans at a cabinet meeting on Sunday and said he would hold talks in New Orleans with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who is also scheduled to address the Nov. 5-9 General Assembly of The Jewish Federations of North America. 

Obama, who is trying to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks stalled over Israeli settlement building, leaves on Nov. 5 for a 10-day visit to India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan. 

Israeli officials said Netanyahu planned to fly to the United States on Nov. 7. 

A new round of direct peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians got under way in Washington on Sept. 2 only to stop a few weeks later when Israel lifted restrictions it had imposed on West Bank settlement building for 10 months. 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has demanded a construction freeze in settlements as a condition for resuming the negotiations on establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip. 


(MS)

PM Benjamin Netanyahu on FedEx Attack: Terrorists Showing Greater Chutzpah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting on October 31, 2010 at his Jerusalem offices during which he announced that he will travel to the United States next week to discuss security issues, following the discovery of explosive-laden packages from Yemen that were addressed to synagogues in Chicago. (Photo : JIM HOLLANDER/AFP/Getty Images)

October 31, 2010 (KATAKAMI / IsraelNationalNews.com) --- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indirectly mentioned, in a statement opening Sunday's weekly Cabinet meeting, the suspected attempt by Yemeni terrorists to strike Chicago synagogues by sending explosive packages via FedEx .

“It matters not whether the attempt is to strike a synagogue in Chicago, a train station in Madrid, or [targets] in Mumbai or Bali,” Netanyahu said. “We are facing a terror wave that is growing, both in terms of the weapons it uses and in terms of trends and chutzpah vis-a-vis the world,” he said.

Each of the bombs reportedly contained some 400 grams of PETN, a highly explosive substance.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said the plot “has the hallmarks of al-Qaeda” and added: “They are constantly trying things to test our system.”

The bombs, packed in toner cartridges and designed to be detonated by a cell phone, were connected via electric circuit to a mobile phone chip tucked into a printer.

The US has recently warned of an increased Al Qaeda threat in Europe. The terror organization was reported last year to be "building an army" of thousands in Yemen. 

On Friday, the Prime MInister criticized the UNESCO vote labelling Rachel's Tomb a mosque and calling for it and  the Cave of the Patriarchs to be removed from Israel's Heritage Site list.

(IsraelNationalNews.com)

Turkish Police Find More Bombs in Istanbul

Police forensic experts work at the scene after an explosion in Istanbul's central Taksim Square, 31 Oct 2010 (Photo : AFP)

October 31, 2010 (KATAKAMI / VOA) --- Turkish police say they are working to disable additional bombs found at the site of a suicide bombing in Istanbul.

Police Chief Huseyin Capkin said the bombs were discovered following a suicide attack Sunday that wounded 10 police officers and 12 civilians.  He said two of the wounded were in serious condition and that the suicide bomber was killed.

Officials and witnesses said the blast ripped through a section of Taksim Square where riot police were gathering.

Turkish police cordoned off the scene, while ambulances rushed to treat the wounded.

Taksim Square is a major tourist area in the heart of modern Istanbul, with restaurants, shops and hotels.  It is also home to the Republic Monument, built in 1928 to commemorate the creation of the Turkish Republic.

There has been no claim of responsibility.

Several groups have carried out bombings in Istanbul in the past, including Islamic extremists and the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

The rebels have been fighting for decades for autonomy in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast, but had recently declared a unilateral cease-fire.  Sunday's bombing comes as the PKK cease-fire is set to expire.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

Istanbul Blast Targeting Police Bus Injures over 15, May Have Been Suicide Bomb

Over 20 injured in Istanbul suicide bomb explosion. The blast occurred in Taksim square where riot police had been gathering in preparations for possible demonstrations. (Photo : RIA NOVOSTI)

October31, 2010 (KATAKAMI / BLOOMBERG) --- At least over 15 people were injured in a blast in central Istanbul that the city’s police chief said was caused by a suicide bomber.

The attacker attempted to board a police minibus in Taksim Square in the Turkish city today, Huseyin Capkin told NTV television. Capkin said at least nine police and six others were injured, and said that two of the injured are in a serious condition. It wasn’t immediately clear who was responsible for the blast. Kurdish, leftist and Islamist groups have carried out attacks in the city in the past.

A country-wide cease-fire imposed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, was scheduled to expire today. A senior commander of the group, Murat Karayilan, apologized for killing civilians and said he wants to extend the cease-fire indefinitely, Radikal newspaper reported on Oct. 28. He also vowed not to harm civilians in future attacks, the newspaper cited him as saying in an interview.

Turkey’s fight against the PKK, which seeks autonomy in the country’s largely Kurdish southeast and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union, has led to the deaths of some 40,000 people since 1984, most of them Kurdish civilians.

(MS)

Over 20 injured in Istanbul suicide bomb explosion - TV

Riot police stand guard as police forensic officers inspect the scene after an explosion near the police vehicles in central Istanbul October 31, 2010. A suspected suicide bomber injured at least 15 people in the explosion in Istanbul's central Taksim Square on Sunday, Turkish media reported. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Murad Sezer )

ANKARA, October 31 (KATAKAMI / RIA Novosti) - At least 22 people were injured after a suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive in Istanbul's main square on Sunday, local TV reported, referring to police.

The blast occurred in Taksim square where riot police had been gathering in preparations for possible demonstrations. Police chief Huseyin Capkin said ten police officers had been injured in the attack, including two policemen in a serious condition.

TV footage showed a body, believed to be that of the suicide bomber, lying near the site of the explosion, covered over with newspapers.

No radical group in Turkey has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, the TV reports said. In the past, members of the separatist rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have carried out bomb attacks in Istanbul.

(MS)

Photostream : Bomb Attack in Istanbul

Injured people sit on the sidewalk after a suicide bomber blew himself up in the centre of Istanbul on October 31, 2010 wounding 15 people, the city's police chief said.'We think it was a suicide attack,' said police chief Huseyin Capkin, adding that two of the wounded were in a serious condition. Six of the injured were civilians and nine were police, he said. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Police officers hug at the scene after an explosion near the police vehicles in central Istanbul October 31, 2010. A suspected suicide bomber wounded 22 people in the centre of Turkey's biggest city on Sunday in an attack targeting police. (Photo by REUTERS/Osman Orsal )

A policeman stands at the scene after an explosion in Istanbul's central Taksim Square on October 31, 2010. A suicide bomber blew himself up in the heart of Istanbul on Sunday, wounding 15 people, the city's police chief said. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILIC (Photo by BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)

Birds fly over police forensic experts on the scene after an explosion in Istanbul's central Taksim Square on October 31, 2010. A suicide bomber blew himself up in the heart of Istanbul on Sunday, wounding 15 people, the city's police chief said. (BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)

Police forensic experts work at the scene after an explosion in Istanbul's central Taksim Square on October 31, 2010. A suicide bomber blew himself up in the heart of Istanbul on Sunday, wounding 15 people, the city's police chief said. (BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)

Police forensic experts work at the scene after an explosion in Istanbul's central Taksim Square on October 31, 2010. A suicide bomber blew himself up in the heart of Istanbul on Sunday, wounding 15 people, the city's police chief said. (BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)

A firetruck arrives on the scene after an explosion in Istanbul's central Taksim Square on October 31, 2010. A suicide bomber blew himself up in the heart of Istanbul on Sunday, wounding 15 people, the city's police chief said. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILIC (Photo by BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)

The remains of the alleged suicide bomber is seen on the ground as police arrives to secure the area after he blew himself up in the centre of Istanbul on October 31, 2010 wounding 15 people, the city's police chief said.'We think it was a suicide attack,' said police chief Huseyin Capkin, adding that two of the wounded were in a serious condition. Six of the injured were civilians and nine were police, he said. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Riot police stand guard as police forensic officers inspect the scene after an explosion near the police vehicles in central Istanbul October 31, 2010. A suspected suicide bomber injured at least 15 people in the explosion in Istanbul's central Taksim Square on Sunday, Turkish media reported. (Getty Images /REUTERS/Murad Sezer )

Police forensic officers inspect the scene after an explosion near the police vehicles in Istanbul's central Taksim Square October 31, 2010. A suspected suicide bomber injured at least 15 people during the explosion on Sunday, Turkish television channel NTV reported (Getty Images / REUTERS/Murad Sezer )

Police forensic officers inspect the scene of a suspected suicide bombing Istanbul's central Taksim Square October 31, 2010. The suspected suicide bomber injured at least 15 people on Sunday, Turkish media reported. It was unclear if the bomber had been killed by the explosion (REUTERS/Murad Sezer)

Tsunami death toll in Indonesia nears 450

Food aid: Residents of North Polaga Island in Mentawai Islands off West Sumatra collect food aid airlifted by the Army on Saturday. The island is only accessible by helicopter. -- JP/R. Berto Wedhatama

October 31,2010 (KATAKAMI / THE JAKARTA POST) --- The death toll from Monday's tsunami that devastated the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra has reached 449 as of 12:24 local time on Sunday, an official said

"The number of dead victims has soared from 413 to 449 on Sunday," Head of Disaster Affairs Division at the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Ade Edwar said on Sunday.

He added that rescue workers were still searching for 96 people.
.
Data from the Mentawai earthquake and tsunami information services at the Sikakap Selatan subdistrict administration in the Mentawai Islands show 270 people were severely injured and 142 others lightly.

A total of 517 houses were destroyed and carried away by the tsunami, while 204 others had minor damage, according to the data.

Those injured in the disaster are being treated at emergency clinics at the public health service post and a church in the subdistrict.

A tsunami survivor receives medical treatment from Indonesian soldier inside a church in Sikakap, Mentawai island, Indonesia Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Local military commander Col. Mulyono, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday that today, his teams along with teams from the Indonesia Red Cross and other organizations, had reached almost all of the 24-tsunami-affected hamlets using seven helicopters.

"Starting from today [Sunday], we plan to drop logistics together with medical teams to those hamlets every day," he said.

A tsunami killer wave triggered by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the islands off the western coast of Sumatra on Monday.

(MS)

Mount Merapi volcano spews searing ash after lull

Lava flows from Mount Merapi volcano as seen from Sidorejo village in the district of Klaten, central Java, October 31, 2010. Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupted again on Saturday morning, spewing ash into the sky, and prompting authorities to extend the danger radius by two kilometres (1.24 miles). GETTY IMAGES / REUTERS/Andry Prsetyo

October 31, 2010 (KATAKAMI / THE JAKARTA POST) --- Mount Merapi is spewing another searing cloud of ash down its slopes after a lull in activity.

Monitoring official Subandrio says the new blast Sunday came after thousands of people who had fled the area rushed back to check on their homes. Their fate is still unclear.

Mount Merapi began erupting on Tuesday, forcing more than 50,000 to evacuate. The blasts have so far killed 38 people even as Indonesia struggles to respond to a tsunami created by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit remote islands and killed nearly 450 .

Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a series of fault lines in the earth's surface that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

(MS)

Photostream : Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupts again on Sunday

Lava flows from the crater of Mount Merapi as seen from Deles, Central Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Irwin Fedriansyah)

Lava flows from Mount Merapi volcano as seen from Sidorejo village in the district of Klaten, central Java, October 31, 2010. Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupted again on Saturday morning, spewing ash into the sky, and prompting authorities to extend the danger radius by two kilometres (1.24 miles). GETTY IMAGES / REUTERS/Andry Prsetyo

A volunteer monitors Mount Merapi volcano from Balerante village in Klaten, near the ancient city of Yogyakarta, October 31, 2010. Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupted again on Saturday morning, spewing ash into the sky, and prompting authorities to extend the danger radius by two kilometres (1.24 miles). Getty Images / REUTERS/Dwi Oblo

Mount Merapi volcano spews smoke as seen from Balerante village in Klaten, near the ancient city of Yogyakarta, October 31, 2010. Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupted again on Saturday morning, spewing ash into the sky, and prompting authorities to extend the danger radius by two kilometres (1.24 miles). Getty Images / REUTERS/Beawiharta

Indonesian Elite Force (Kopassus) members hand relief goods for residents affected by the eruption of Mount Merapi at a temporary shelter in Kepuharjo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010. Villagers returned to the slopes of an active Indonesian volcano Sunday, taking advantage of an eerie lull in activity to check on their homes. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

Residents, displaced by the eruption of Mount Merapi, queue up for lunch at a temporary shelter in Kepuharjo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Trisnadi)

Granny bites Elite Force (Koppasus) member because she didn't want to be evacuated from Mount Merapi

Army special force (Koppasus) personnel distribute humanitarian aid to people displaced by Mt. Merapi eruption in Kepuharjo refugee center in the Yogyakarta regency of Sleman. Over 15,000 people have sough refuge until Sunday. – Antara/Wahyu Putro

October 31, 2010 (KATAKAMI / THE JAKARTA POST) --- Army special force (Kopassus) soldiers have to undergo taugh training to master combat skills, but they may have never been taught how to persuade senior citizens to leave their homes during a forced evacuation.

Second Sgt. Dwi Andi, a member of the elite force, not only failed to pass the complicated test, but also had his arm bitten by grandma Widi as he was carrying her down the foot of Mt. Merapi in Yogyakarta during the mass evacuation on Saturday.

“She resisted the evacuation and insisted on staying at home with her cattle. But for the sake of her safety, I carried her on my back. She kept fighting and bit my arm,” Dwi told was quoted by kompas.com.

Kopassus soldiers were deployed to evacuate residents of Palem Sari hamlet in Cangkringan district after Mt. Merapi unleashed its biggest explosion on Saturday.

“I had persuaded her, but she refused to be evacuated. Therefore I had to use force,” Dwi recalled.

The soldier took the old woman to Umbulharjo village administration office before admitting her to Panti Nugroho Hospital for medical treatment. The old woman was among the last villagers to be evacuated due to a blackout.

(MS)

Putin visits General Shamanov, Commander of Russian Airborne Forces in hospital

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, left, walks to greet Lt. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov, the commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, right, in the military hospital in Moscow, Russia, late Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010. Shamanov was involved in a serious car accident on Saturday. (Getty Images / AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Alexei Druzhinin, Pool)

MOSCOW, October 30 (KATAKAMI / Itar-Tass) --- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has visited Airborne Troops Commander Vladimir Shamanov in the Burdenko central military hospital. Shamanov was seriously injured in a road accident on Saturday morning.

Coming into the room, the premier asked how Shamanov felt and noted: "It is good that at least you are smiling."

Specialists are highly skilled here, and so everything will be good, Putin assured. “The spirits are high, and it is the main thing,” he added.

Shamanov thanked the premier for the visit and said: "We will be needed yet."

The premier noted he would not speak at the time about what happened, adding that the main thing was how Shamanov felt.

Speaking to the doctors and hospital executives, Putin noted that serious work was to be done for the general to regain his health. The doctors told the prime minister that Shamanov would undergo an operation next week.

Fifty-three-year-old Shamanov got into the accident in the Tula Region on Saturday morning. The BMW car in which he was collided with a MAZ vehicle. Shamanov was taken to the Burdenko hospital at 19:02 Moscow time. He has an arm trauma, a shin fracture and brain concussion.

(MS)

Russian airborne troops commander injured in traffic accident

Russian Airborne Troops Commander Lt. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov

October 30, 2010 (KATAKAMI/ RIA NOVOSTI) --- Russian Airborne Troops Commander Lt. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov was injured in a car accident, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

Shamanov was on his way to the Tula paratroopers division on Saturday morning when his BMW crashed with a MAZ truck, which veered into the oncoming lane, 500 meters away from the entrance to Tula.

Three Tajik nationals, who were riding in the truck, attempted to escape but were detained by paratroopers, who followed the general's car.

The BMW driver was killed on the spot while Shamanov and Col. Alexei Naumets, the acting commander of the Tula division, were hospitalized. The latter was taken to intensive care.

The ministry's spokesman said Shamanov was conscious and his life was out of danger.

The general will be moved from a Tula hospital to the Burdenko hospital in Moscow, one of Russia's best medical centers.

Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who appointed Shamanov Airborne Troops commander in May 2009, said, "Shamanov is a strong man. He will recover and continue commanding the Airborne Troops."


MOSCOW, October 30 (RIA Novosti)